Student success: reframing pathway education
As we gather with our senior education agents for three days of planning and reflection, one theme runs through every conversation: student success.
But success in international education can’t ever be taken for granted. For students to access the life-changing opportunities of studying abroad and to truly make the most of that experience, it takes thought, care and hard work — from the very first moment a young person begins to explore their options, through to the quality of advice, induction, teaching, support and guidance they receive along the way.
Too often, people assume that success is simply a matter of securing a university place and walking across the stage at graduation. Of course, graduation is a wonderful milestone but international education is about far more than that moment. It is about the full spectrum of learning, challenge, experience and relationships that shape students into globally confident graduates.
More than a Degree
International students in anglophone countries are sometimes unfairly criticised for their standard of English, or for spending too much time with peers from their home country. But that shouldn’t surprise anyone. After all, when Brits or Americans travel abroad, they also cluster around familiar language and culture. A better response is to actively help those students step away from their comfort zone so they can experience all a new language and environment has to offer.
The real value of international education comes when students build cultural confidence, adapt to new environments, and develop the agility to work in multinational teams. As our agents know as they explain the value of pathway and foundation programmes, that transition from home takes time, guidance and support. But when it’s done well, students don’t just cope at university – they engage, contribute and thrive.
The Power of Preparation
At Study Group, we see repeatedly that great preparation makes all the difference. Many of our tutors have decades of experience in this area, and a significant number have lived the international education journey themselves.
We provide students with confidence and practice in English language skills tailored to their academic discipline, as well as opportunities to use language in everyday environments and social situations. Our study centres bring together diverse groups and encourage students from different counties and languages to practise and grow in an atmosphere that is warm, inclusive and supportive.
When these students graduate, many look back and credit that early preparation with giving them the confidence and skills to succeed. Watching them with their proud tutors is inspiring, and they often express sympathy for peers who did not have the benefit of the same head start.
What Success Really Looks Like
The challenge for our sector and our agents is how to convey the value of this experience to those who are yet to live through it.
One of the measures our agents appreciate most — and which we are proud of — is our outstanding student progression rates. It is not enough for students to simply enrol; they must also achieve their ambitions by continuing onto their degrees and attaining well. And this begins with the choice of degree itself. That is why we work so closely with agents and university partners to help students make the right choices, and to ensure they are ready to meet the challenges ahead.
And in the end, the ultimate test of our shared work is what happens after graduation. Again the proof our the value of a thorough preparation is seen in what students go on to achieve. The engineers, doctors, business leaders and lawyers ego began their careers in this way are a tribute to what works. It is no coincidence that in the last three years, finalists in the global Professional International Education awards for outstanding alumni began their higher education overseas in one of our Study Centres.
Education is not a simple product, it is an enabler of growth and it is seen in the lives of real people. Employers across the world are not just looking for a degree certificate; they are looking for graduates with resilience, confidence, communication skills and cultural awareness.
By working together – Study Group colleagues, our university partners and our dedicated agents — we give students the very best chance of lifelong success.
It’s time to reframe pathway education in the light of long term success. A period of preparation is not a deficit — it is an investment in a student’s future career.
