The Inaugural NCUK-IEN Alumni Event. Celebrating 30 Years of NCUK.
Thursday 3rd August 2017 – British Ambassador’s Residence, Korea
2017 marks the 30th anniversary of the Northern Consortium Charity and NCUK, a unique collaboration of leading UK universities dedicated to giving international students guaranteed access to universities worldwide and helping them succeed when they get there. To celebrate the success, IEN Institute and NCUK held their first alumni event to recognise the success of students that have progressed through NCUK-IEN’s partnership in Korea.
I experienced amazing NCUK Foundation preparation with IEN. Professors and teachers offered the best lectures and support to stimulate my intellectual curiosity. Throughout the university years, I really enjoyed that professors and tutors encouraged me to read widely, think and produce conclusions on my own.
Minkyung Shim, IEN and University of Sheffield Alumna
From the outset, NCUK has pioneered developments in the transnational education market. Through partnerships round the world, NCUK established early market advantage in China, followed by growth in markets such as Nigeria, India, Japan and notably, South Korea with the distinguished partner, IEN Institute. IEN Institute have an extremely strong reputation in the market teaching the International Foundation Year and the Pre-Masters Preparation qualification. Both qualifications combine the highest of academic standards with exceptional language, study and cultural skills necessary for UK study.
Over the years, IEN have taught over 800 students and helped them to achieve their dream of studying in the UK. The centre themselves are in the lead up to celebrating their 10th anniversary with NCUK later in 2018.
On Tuesday 1st August 2017, 100 students graduated from IEN. 96% of these students are heading to universities in September on Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees ranging from Business, Economics, Engineering, Law, Computer Science, Biological Sciences and many more. The vast majority of students take the guaranteed option of study at an NCUK university but students can also progress from the NCUK International Foundation Year to universities elsewhere in the UK, Ireland, Australia, Canada and the USA.
The alumni event on Thursday 3rd August was held at the British Ambassador’s residence in Seoul. The IEN-NCUK alumni in attendance were from a variety of careers in Marketing, Finance and Engineering but to name a few. Also in attendance were NCUK Universities, the Deputy Ambassador, British Embassy, lecturers and directors of IEN as well as NCUK staff.
UK qualifications are recognised all around the world. Completing a degree from one of the NCUK universities gives students the skills they need to stand out in an increasingly competitive job market. It’s great to see that the students who started their journey on the NCUK International Foundation Year programme here in Korea, have made such a valuable contribution to the Korean economy in their professional careers.
Sue Kinoshita, Deputy Head of Mission, British Embassy Seoul
Ken Gill, CEO of NCUK, and Sue Kinoshita, Deputy Head of Mission, British Embassy Seoul
IEN Institute is an extremely valuable NCUK delivery partner. One of the joys of working with their dedicated team is to see how much passion they have and how much they put in to supporting their students. It’s an honour to see the jubilant students celebrating their graduation and it’s even more wonderful to see how far the alumni have come in their professions.
Ken Gill,
CEO of NCUK
I’m delighted that we are able to hold the 1st NCUK-IEN Alumni event and also be part of the NCUK 30th anniversary celebrations here in Korea. NCUK is a high-quality organisation dedicated to supporting international students. It’s an honour to be able to provide Korean students with this guaranteed route to UK universities and be part of such a unique, successful organisation. I am especially proud to support our students in their pursuit of global success.
Jeeyoung Kim, Principal Director of IEN Institute
The UK remains at the forefront of research and academic quality, with world-class facilities, industry leading academic staff and a tradition of excellence which dates back hundreds of years. The NCUK qualifications help students to contribute and succeed when they come to study with us.
Professor David Littlewood, University of Sheffield
Picture: Professor David Littlewood, University of Sheffield
Together, NCUK and the Northern Consortium Charity have helped tens of thousands of students worldwide over the years. The Charity itself has facilitated scholarships of over £1.5 million in the last five years alone. Over the thirty years, billions of pounds have been put into the local economies from student fees and living expenses.
Other events to be held this year include the NCUK 30th Anniversary Prize Award Ceremony. The event is held in Manchester and students from over 100 nationalities are awarded with merit and needs-based scholarships. NCUK are expecting a strong year of growth and looking forward to the next 30 years working in partnership with IEN Institute.
NCUK has a world-wide network of over 45 Delivery Partners in 17 countries and has placed over 30,000 international students onto NCUK Universities over the past 30 years.
