Special article for ORLA.fm by Liz Walker
On
Saturday July
17th the first ever British University Fair was held for potential
Polish
applicants at Thames Valley University
in
Ealing, London. The event was organised
by the Association of Polish Entrepreneurs
& Companies UK (APEC-UK Stowarzyszenie
Polskich Przedsiębiorców i Firm w Zjednoczonym
Królestwie)
and sponsored
by Thames Valley
University, the Chartered
Institute of
Management Accountants (CIMA), London Metropolitan University and the Polish
Bakery.
It was supported by the Polish Catholic Mission, the Federation of Poles
in GB,
The Polish Psychologists Association and the London Polish Society.
Throughout the day, over 250 Poles came to meet with university
representatives,
to obtain information about university applications and student finance, to meet with current Polish
students and to find about courses
at different universities. Media patron was ORLA.fm
Whilst
a
proportion of the delegates had very little understanding of the British
higher
education system (for example some were asking what was the difference
between
undergraduate and postgraduate courses and in many cases did not realise
that
they had to obtain an IELTS qualification to demonstrate their level of
competence in English language as an entry qualification to university),
nevertheless ALL
of these delegates understood one thing - the
importance of gaining a British qualification in the first place and
their
desire to continue with their studies for their own personal
satisfaction and
future career development.
Since
the Poles
started coming over to the UK, the number of them attending British
universities
has been increasing each year. Last year the British Council reported
that
almost 15,500 Poles were attending British universities. Yet a certain
number of
these are probably mis-matched with what they are studying, the level
that they
are studying at and even the type of higher institution that they are
attending.
This is in part due to a lack of
impartial advice and at times a
lack
of understanding about the British university system.
Apart
from the
lack of information and understanding of the British higher education system on part
of the
Poles, equally, there can be a lack of understanding from British
universities (and employers) about the Polish educational system, about
Polish
Universities, Technical Universities, Academies, other private higher
education institutions and what those Polish qualifications actually
equate
to in the British system. Whilst NARIC UK offers interpretation
of the
equivalence of Polish qualifications, there is still confusion as to
what
the old and new Matura qualifications actually equate to and at times
there even
confusion in some university departments as to whether Polish degrees
and
Masters degrees are the equivalent to the British degrees.
I
have
met several Poles who when they tell me where and what they are
studying in the UK and what their academic background from Poland is,
I am astonished as to how they ended up doing qualifications at a lower
level than what they should be, or attending universities which
perhaps are not the most appropriate ones for them. In a few cases
some of them have
realised that they
fell into the trap of taking advice from individuals who have been
marketing themselves as experts in giving 'free' advice to Poles wishing
to
study at British universities. These 'experts' it turns out are actually
agents
who are employed by some universities and get paid a fee for
steering Poles (some of whom are
gullible and vulnerable) into the universities with whom they
are contracted to. Whilst there is nothing wrong about being a university agent, what is wrong is the
lack of transparency about the fact they are working for
particular universities and who those universities are.
This
is what
inspired me and APEC-UK to put together this event, so that the Polish
community would be able to obtain information about higher education
opportunities in an impartial way. More importantly, the other issue was
to
inspire those Poles who have come over to the UK to work, to realise the
importance of upgrading their qualifications, knowledge and expertise.
This is to enable Poles to develop their career progression not only in
the UK,
but if they should ever wish to return to work in Poland. Certainly with regard to British
employers, those Poles who have obtained British
qualifications may find that their application forms will be processed
more easily and it also demonstrates commitment and personal ambition.
The other
benefit for Poles with British qualifications is that it becomes easier
to
ensure that they are paid at the right level, as there will no longer be
a
question mark as to whether they are at A'level, degree or
postgraduate standard.
In
recent months,
there have been at least three separate studies carried out in Poland
about
those Poles who have returned to Poland and their employability
situation. All three reports highlighted the difficulties that the returning Poles had in getting
jobs in
Poland after working in menial jobs for several years, as Polish
employers did
not rate this type of work experience. One of the studies showed that
six months
after returning to Poland, 40% of Poles were still unemployed due to
lack of
appropriate skills and their Polish qualifications which were gained
several
years ago, were not regarded by Polish employers as being relevant any
more. Many of those Poles who returned to Poland and are still
unemployed,
are now looking to return to the UK for work again.
So the message
is
becoming very clear. If
Poles
want to move up from low paid, menial jobs and actually achieve their
full
potential not only in the UK but on their return to Poland, then they
need
to upgrade their qualifications. Investing
in education is one of the best things that a Pole can do whilst in the
UK.
For those
interested in attending
future British university events, please email
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
For further information about university courses
and Open days,
contact the Universities who
took part in the British University Fair for
Polish
Applicants :
Birkbeck College, University of
London
University of
Buckingham
Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
(CIMA)
University of Essex
King's College, University of
London
University of Lancaster
University of Leicester
Liverpool John Moore's
University
London Metropolitan
University
London School of Business &
Finance
London South Bank
University
University of Salford
University of Sheffield
University of
Southampton
Thames Valley
University
University Campus
Suffolk
University of Warwick
University of York
Liz Walker is the Chairman of the Association
of Polish
Entrepreneurs & Companies UK (APEC-UK). She is a former Marketing
Manager in
the education section and was a Specialist Careers Adviser dealing with
those
applying to university. Her specialism was applying to Oxford &
Cambridge
Universities. She initiated and ran for many years the Oxford &
Cambridge
Universities conferences for potential applicants and is the author of
the
'Applicant's Guide to Oxford & Cambridge'. Apart from holding the
Diploma in
Careers Guidance, she also has the Chartered Institute of Marketing
Diploma
(CIM) and was a former 'Marketing Student of the Year' at the university
where
she took her CIM Diploma.
