UK Student Recruitment Team

“The team is based in Treforest and at the Newport campus, but also works at all other campuses and sites delivering school and college events. They also work remotely, with two of the team based in the West Midlands and South West England. Most of the team’s work is peripatetic, as they visit schools and colleges on a daily basis.

“We deliver engaging and interactive university information, advice, and guidance sessions, at schools and colleges or on campus, to students who are considering applying to university, highlighting the benefits of higher education. We also encourage prospective students to attend subject-specific taster sessions to allow them to make informed decisions when choosing their HE options. We deliver widening participation activities and work with a wide-range of external organisations to ensure under-represented groups in HE receive appropriate support to access university. We attend school/college fairs and larger external fairs such as UCAS/UK University Search to represent the University and promote the courses offered at USW. Among our key stakeholders are decision-making influencers such as teachers, advisers, parents, and carers, and therefore we play a vital role in raising the profile of USW among this audience.

Ali – In this job, there is no such thing as a ‘typical day’! We can range from desk-based admin days, analysing data and looking at trends to inform new outreach and engagement plans, to driving here there and everywhere around the UK to directly engage with our target audience. It’s fast-paced and never boring.

Darren – quite often, I’m in a school or college working with students directly either in a presentation or a workshop. I like to keep things interactive and answer any questions they have there and then. The journey to the school or college is often very interesting in the South West of England; I’m getting acquainted with country roads and towns and villages I’ve never been visited before.

Kate – The best part of the job is the reward of knowing that we have helped changed lives for the better, especially for those who are disadvantaged.

Rebecca – Engaging with potential students who would never think they would ever be able to go to university, seeing them achieve and totally thrive at university has to be a top reason why I have stayed in this role for more than nine years. I particularly enjoy seeing students we have worked with in the past attend their graduation ceremonies. I feel so proud of them and am also delighted to see that three years of hard work has paid off for them.

Ali – The best part of this job is knowing that we genuinely make a difference in people’s lives. We raise aspirations and make the ‘impossible’ possible for so many people. Honestly, I’m blown away by us all every single day. The going gets tough sometimes, but this team is the picture of resilience.

Sera – The team won the Higher Education Liaison Officers’ Association Best Practice in Student Recruitment and Outreach in 2019 for an event for a HE awareness event students with Autism. In 2020, they won a USW STARS Award for Creative Team of the Year for adapting their outreach delivery methods with a week at the very start of the pandemic. I am incredibly proud of every member of the team – they’re hard-working, passionate, and committed, believe in USW and its transformational impact, and they demonstrate the core values every single day.