Wittenborg at ICEF and EAIE with New Munich Partner, NEC

28.09.2019

Host Country for ICEF and EAIE, Finland, Frequently Ranked as World's Best in Education

Wittenborg was joined by its new partner from Munich, the New European College (NEC), at the 13th edition of the ICEF Higher Education Workshop held in Helsinki, Finland, this weekend where they met a range of student recruitment agents from around the world.

As per usual, the ICEF event takes place shortly before the 2019 EAIE Conference and Exhibition - from 24 - 27 September - which is also held in Helsinki, allowing educators to attend both events.

At ICEF, Wittenborg was represented the chair of the executive, Peter Birdsall, while NEC was represented by its managing director, Sascha Liebhardt. At the EAIE conference, Birdsall was joined by senior admission officer, Florian Oosterberg, who has just been announced as Wittenborg's new Student Registrar from 1 December 2019.

Recruitment Agents' Crucial Role in Growth of HE Sector

Agents continue to play a crucial role in the growth of the higher education sector, representing institutions in their markets and providing culturally aware counselling to students and their families. Agents also monitor enrolment criteria, streamlining the entire process, ICEF said on its website.

"(The event) provides a targeted opportunity for international tertiary institutions, selected higher education-focused agents, and relevant service providers to hold pre-scheduled, one-to-one business meetings effectively and efficiently."

Agents from All Over the World

Birdsall said: "There were agents attending the 2-day workshop from countries as far as El Salvador and Vietnam who all travelled to Finland for the event. These agents specialise in sending students to universities and colleges to study abroad. They also narrow it down to particular areas of higher education - for instance, you would have agents who specialise in Nordic countries or only the Benelux and Germany."

EAIE Promotes Inclusivity and Diversity

The 31st Annual EAIE Conference and Exhibition focuses on internationalisation. Finland is a frontrunner in education - frequently ranked the best in the world. The theme of the conference is "Encompassing all voices", which will promote the idea of inclusion, not excluding those who might otherwise be marginalised, providing equal access to high-quality learning, and seeking out and incorporating divergent viewpoints into policy and practice.