The University of Gloucestershire, UK, and its partners in Nigeria have finalised plans to hold a two-day exhibition programme at two different venues in Lagos. Designed for Nigerian students seeking admission opportunities to the United Kingdom, the events will be held on Friday, April 19, and Saturday, April 20, 2024.
Aptly tagged, ‘Meet us in Nigeria’, the first day is billed for the Sapphire Suit, Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria, between 2pm and 7 pm on Friday. In contrast, the second-day programme will be held on April 19 at Meeting Room 3, Radisson Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria, between 11am and 6pm on Saturday, April 20, 2024.
The University of Gloucestershire is one of the universities in southwest England, UK, with about 12,000 students – most of the students are local with only about 700 international students.
A public university offers various economic disciplines through courses like computing, health, education, project management, Architecture, etc.
Officials of the University of Gloucestershire, Wajid Ali, Regional Manager, West Africa and Pakistan and Professor Ndibarafinia Tobin, a Nigerian and Senior Lecturer, Construction Project Management and Quantity Surveying, said the idea behind the programme is to offer first-hand information about the opportunities in the school to help Nigerians and international students seeking admission to schools in the UK make an informed decision.
In an interview with this reporter on Wednesday at the Avail International Consult Ltd, partners of the University of Gloucestershire and organizer of the program, the management revealed that admission into the University of Gloucestershire will not only provide academic benefit but also economic benefit by way of employment after graduation.
“We understand that Nigeria and UK has economic, historic and social ties with a lot of the students and potential students looking for options to stay in the UK. And we think that the school can provide the best options for them in terms of affordability, quality education, and location of the institution which is in the middle of great cities with distances from London, Oxford, Bristo, the location is very good and we are offering rounds of scholarship also for potential students.
“Generally, Nigerians are looking for quality education, I am sure we will provide this and more. As a Western institution, opportunities for part-time and full-time jobs during their studies and afterward are available. This is an area that can create millions of job opportunities all round the year.
“Nigerians can do part-time jobs during their studies and have professional jobs after graduation. A personalized kind of teaching, a small size university where the students have the opportunity to interact with their teachers on a regular basis.”
On his expectation for the two-day programme, Professor Tobin said, “I discovered that the average Nigerian school seekers abroad are more about travelling abroad – but the question is what happen after that? It’s going to be frustrating that after putting in more resources into education in the UK and not getting the required job. We will be helping to guide them into courses that will give them the competitive edge for employment after graduation. It is not just about travelling abroad but also guiding them through it now and in the future.
“So, at the end of the two-day programme, they should be able to understand the relevant courses and where they fit in into the relevant courses either after their First or Master’s degree and the relevance for the future.
“For us, it is about getting the right information and some technical tips on how to choose the right location because UK is big and other universities are there too which are not offering as much incentives that we are offering at the university,” he said.
Other opportunities that potential students of the University of Gloucestershire will get is in the area of scholarship which outstanding students will enjoy up to five thousand pounds, representatives of the school said.
In an earlier interview with Espinews, Bola Agunbiade, Chief Executive Officer, Avail International Consult said the program will afford potential students the platform to speak one-on-one with the representatives of the University of Gloucestershire, to have their credentials checked and see what choice of course they are qualified for.
Those who qualifies can have their admission letters picked with also opportunities for scholarships between 1,500 Pounds and 7,500 Pounds.
She therefore called on all Nigerians seeking admission opportunities in the UK to make themselves available on the slated days.