Enhancing Employability Support for International Students

International students have become an increasingly important demographic for universities over recent years. Aside from the financial benefits that international students bring to providers, they also arrive with different perspectives that enrich the university experience for all students. In the post-Brexit landscape, which has seen applicants from EU countries decline in recent years, students from non-EU countries such as China and India have a growing presence in the sector; in 2022 alone, UCAS reported that the number of applicants from non-EU countries had increased by 5% and the organisation predicts that this volume will increase by 46% in 2026. 

But what about life after university? Recent research from the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) and Kaplan International Pathways found that 71% of international students plan to work in the UK after graduation. And, as employability becomes an increasingly touchstone issue across the HE sector, it’s likely that prospective international students will select what institution to attend based on the employment opportunities their degree can open for them – meaning the ability to demonstrate good careers outcomes for international graduates will be crucial for providers’ recruitment and revenue. 

This is good news for employers, as international students – who often undertake higher levels of study such as master’s and PhD programmes – can enter the job market as skilled professionals. They also bring knowledge and experience of their home countries’ economies, in addition to unique capabilities linked to the international student experience such as adaptability, resilience and language skills.  

Yet the same report by HEPI and Kaplan highlights how many international students face difficulties navigating the UK job market, whether it be employers’ lack of knowledge about right-to-work eligibility, obstacles to securing work experience opportunities or financial concerns about their ability to support themselves. 

This is where the work of careers and employability professionals in universities is crucial. In this article, we offer 3 solutions for professionals looking to provide bespoke and relevant support to their international students. We explore examples of interventions being rolled out across the sector to enhance the employability and outcomes of international students.

Provide Targeted Support

While the HEPI and Kaplan report found that careers support was important to international students when choosing a university, only 52% of the students surveyed thought their institution was doing well to support their employability. 

Providing targeted support that specifically addresses the needs and barriers for international students is vital. Specific areas of concern for international students might include:

• Relevant information about the UK job market

• Support finding part-time work, including understanding visa limitations 

• Translating their experience as an international student into CV and cover letter ‘friendly’ language 

• Guidance on employment opportunities in their home countries 

• Advice on communicating sponsorship requirements to employers and ensuring they are not discriminated against in application processes 

• Support in developing a cultural understanding of the UK employment market 

The University of West England offer a range of targeted support for their international students. Their careers service provides a vacancy checklist for international students, which enables them to determine whether they are eligible for opportunities. They also helpfully list a range of skills that international students develop throughout their university experience, in addition to running an International Talent Internship Scheme. 

The University of Birmingham’s targeted support for international student employability is also impressive. The university’s careers service hosts a range of events specifically for international students, including English for Employability workshops, guidance on making a Student Route visa application and, recently, an Asia Careers Insight Series, which gave students the chance to familiarise themselves with organisations looking to hire graduates across Asia. They also have a dedicated job vacancies platform, Student Circus, which was created by and for international students and lists filtered opportunities that take into account all eligibility restrictions. 

It's important to ensure this support is well signposted for international students, as statistics show that a lot of the international student community is made up of students on one-year masters’ programmes. Due to their limited time in the institution, they might be harder to reach and have less time to engage with careers services. Marketing this support as bespoke opportunities for international students will indicate to them that the information and guidance they’ll receive will be relevant and useful. 

Don’t forget to gather and review feedback from students to better understand how to can create unique support that serves the international community of your institution.

Inform and Guide Employers

In 2021, the UK government launched the Graduate Visa route. This new post-study work visa allows international students to remain in the UK to undertake or look for work for up to 2 years (or 3, for PhD students). 

By not requiring a formal job offer, this new route provides flexibility for international students. It’s also an attractive hiring option for employers as it doesn’t require them to sponsor employees, nor does it place restrictions on salary or skill level. It allows employers to ‘trial’ an employee before deciding to invest in them in the long term by transferring them to the Skilled Worker Visa route. 

Despite this, in a 2023 survey by HEPI, only 3% of employers said they had knowingly made use of the Graduate Visa, with more than a quarter reporting that they were not familiar with it at all. 

There have been calls on the government to do more to promote the Graduate visa route to employers. However, there is also work that universities can do to communicate the benefits of this opportunity.  

The University of Sheffield provide extensive information on recruiting international students for employers. This includes signposting informative resources, such as the International Student Employability Group’s (ISEG) guide for employers on recruiting international graduates, which breaks down the implications of the various visa route options. They also offer bespoke recruitment support to employers looking to recruit international graduates, such as advice on how to target students from specific regions and arranging networking activities. 

Others resources that may be of use for employers include a guide for employers from AGCAS and one from the National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB), which includes employer and student case studies. 

When you work with employers – be it to host them at careers events, devise placement programmes or advertise job vacancies – think about the ways you can bring international graduates into the conversation. 

Particularly in a political climate where the government has threatened to cap international student numbers, it’s more important than ever to highlight to employers the positive economic impact they have and how they can contribute to plugging essential skills gaps.

Integrate Employability into the Curriculum

Embedding employability in the curriculum has become a focus area for employability professionals across the sector in recent years. While this is a crucial route to engaging all students in employability education, HEPI and Kaplan’s recent report suggests embedding employability in the curriculum may be even more important for international students. 

The report found that satisfaction rates were much higher among international students who say employability skills are part of their course. Students who felt their course didn’t cover employability skills indicated they regretted their choice of institution altogether. 

So, clearly, there’s an intimate link between international student satisfaction and the delivery of employability skills. By working closely with your academic staff to integrate the development of employability skills into course delivery, you can enhance both the international student experience and their outcomes at the end of their course. This could look like: 

• Delivering work-integrated learning opportunities as part of the curriculum 

• Working with employers on course design. If your institution has a Higher or Degree Apprenticeship offering, see what you can learn from the delivery of these programmes. 

• Designing modules and assessments that build and evaluate employability skills and work-readiness. 

Advance HE offer a range of resources, including case study compendiums and a framework for embedding employability in higher education. You might also consult their report on Transnational Education (TNE) and employability development. 

You may also explore ways that employability can be integrated into teaching delivery with a specific focus on international students and the barriers they face. For example, international students often cite struggles to find work experience opportunities in the UK. So, are there ways that you can offer such opportunities as part of curriculum delivery, such as a work-integrated learning module or a compulsory work experience module? 

Working with academic staff to co-produce these kinds of interventions will require buy-in from senior leadership. You can point to the findings of research such as the HEPI report to indicate the importance of embedded employability to international students, who are an essential source of funding for universities. 

For further guidance on this, see HE Professional's interview between Gemma Kenyon (Director of Careers & Employability at City, University of London and AGCAS Integrating Employability Director) and Stefan Couch (Careers Consultant Team Leader, Queen Mary University of London) on engaging academic colleagues in the employability agenda.

Student Outcomes, Satisfaction and Internationalisation

With the introduction of new policies such as the OfS’s B3 Condition of Registration, it’s clear that enhancing graduate outcomes is becoming an increasing focus for universities. 

Meanwhile, recruiting a strong international cohort is essential for the financial stability and diversity of UK universities. 

At the intersection of these issues is the fact that international graduates want effective and relevant careers support. By providing this, universities continue to make the UK a top destination for students from all around the world whilst also bolstering student satisfaction and outcomes.