This article aims to share impact and learning points of a number of activities in Madrid, Spain in February & March 2019.

Following a call for proposals, we achieved funding from GREAT to develop guides for students and schools in Spain and organise a large UK stand at the mayor HE fair in Spain, with over 150,000 visitors, AULA. Managed by the Spanish Ministry of Education, AULA attracts students and schools during 3 weekdays and families over the weekend. It is the meeting point for Spanish Universities to recruit and for students to find out their options and it is, no doubt, a Spanish event. But 150,000 visitors is a huge audience and we believe the improvement of the level of English in Spanish bilingual public/concertado schools pose a huge opportunity to UK Universities in the country. Spanish press did cover UK education in positive terms a few weeks and during AULA, which we consider important as it was during the week of Brexit, please see an example here.

Our 100sqm stand featuring StudyUK and GREAT branding was one of the most attractive at the Fair. An impressive 100% of 118 questionnaires completed by our audience stated they would recommend their friends talking to our experts and over 97% positive replies related to improving their understanding, improving their will to study in the UK and improving their perception of offer in the UK. Furthermore, we engaged with over 69 school teachers and had interested discussions with advisers who were keen to learn about the UK. Around 2,500 copies of our guide for students were distributed (as well as over 400 guides for schools). The guide for schools includes contact details of all the universities that exhibit with British Council Spain in 2018/19 as well as those in AULA.

I want to publicly thank Vanessa Johnson, Alicia Arcas, Laura Spencer, Anna Henley, Jorge Domínguez, Stephanie Heilman, Mark Wilson & Rachel Dunn, recruitment officers, professors or students from UK HE institutions, who offered their time and expertise for this initiative. All of us worked as volunteers (including British Council and Embassy staff) giving out our time and expertise. Here you can see some comments and reflections from this outstanding team:

About the stand and presence in AULA:

“I think that it is a very valuable initiative in terms of sparking an interest of students who might consider studying abroad but have not given it much thought. It is catching students very “high” in the funnel and introducing the idea that international study might be for them. I also think that using the stand to build a network of teachers is exactly the way to ensure that students are well-informed and submit good quality applications."

"I used to attend AULA when I was in high school and I have seen that in just 3 years since I last attended it, students have more info not only about universities in Madrid but also in other parts of Spain and I think stands like ours are needed so students have the chance to know more about other possibilities like studying in the UK”

“It was a great idea having a spread of expertise, including uni representatives and students, and I was really impressed with the way the team gelled together, maximising each individual's strengths”

About our visitors:

"All teachers wanted a copy of the booklet (guide for schools) and nearly all wanted to be kept up-to-date on any development re: Brexit. It seemed that, for many, approaching us was the first step they had made to find out about UK higher education and they were keen to learn more (especially the careers advisers). Schools were keen to have more information about personal statements. I was surprised how few teachers had prior knowledge about UK HE"

"The vast majority did not know about the chances UK education can bring to a student and most of them wondered if their degree of interest existed in the UK and were surprised (positively) about the UK’s academic offer"

"Teachers loved the guide. They acknowledged it was difficult to have in depth expertise, but were very keen to know how to direct students in the right direction. They were all unfailingly enthusiastic and open to all suggestions to help their students"

"Most people I spoke to had very little knowledge about opportunities in the UK and it was quite clear (and always has been) that people find it difficult to think about alternatives to what they know, i.e. 3 year degrees, work placements, degrees that are not typical in Spain etc. A lower percentage had already realised it was a good opportunity and had some knowledge but did not understand how to search for suitable programmes or prepare an application"

About Brexit:

"Of all the people I spoke with, just one or two asked about Brexit. I think students do not really take this into consideration, maybe their families or teacher wonder more about it"

"I did not get the impression that Brexit itself would stop families and choosing going to the UK, it is just the loss of funding that would affect most people. In general I have had a lot of questions about the validity of British degrees post Brexit but I feel that is relatively easy to counter"

Please feel free to share our promotional StudyUK video with your Spanish students.