Enroly partners made up 46% of early university signatories to a formal pledge to follow the UK Agent Quality Framework (AQF) and the National Code of Ethical Practice at BUILA’s winter conference last week.
The charter has been designed to promote shared best practice in agent management, including robust training and standardised processes.
It includes steps such as clear signposting of certified agents for student use, a formal complaints process, and building the requirement for certified training and adherence to the National Code of Ethical Practice into legal contracts.
The Enroly partners that signed up include Bangor, Durham, London Metropolitan, Queen’s University Belfast, and York St John University.
Catriona McCarthy, Chair for BUILA and Director of Global Engagement at Ulster University, an Enroly partner, said, “Recent coverage surrounding agents has been somewhat negative and could be better balanced with a clearer understanding of the role agents play in international student recruitment and the proactive work that has been undertaken in the sector to ensure the right controls are in place.
“The AQF is a collaborative, sector wide initiative, delivering the tools that both students, agents and universities need to ensure that the standards associated with UK higher education are maintained and protected.
“An important next step is to now open mechanisms through which those who fail to meet the required standards can be reported and known within the sector and government.”
Saphia Williams, Head of Customer Success at Enroly, said, “Enroly strongly supports a cooperative approach in agent management. The Agent Quality Framework offers additional tools to existing technology solutions such as the Enroly platform for encouraging best practice. The platform gives universities and their agents the means for more efficient, transparent and accountable collaboration throughout the international student journey.’
“Enroly is committed to collaborating with the higher education sector to improve the ways universities can work with agents. The platform is now used by more than 5,000 and a third of HE international students coming to the UK.”
“By leveraging our data, and continuing to develop tools that promote transparency in the university-agent relationship, Enroly aims to ensure agents maintain proper conduct and performance standards: focused on enhancing compliance and conversion to reinforce the value agents bring to the industry.”
“We welcome the news that so many UK universities, including many of our clients, are making commitments to enhanced standards via this BUILA-led pledge, and applaud BUILA for their efforts in driving improvements in the sector that will benefit everyone.”
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