University’s vision to achieve worldwide reach and growth with new technology

A UNIVERSITY (@UTSEngage) with a vision to be a leading public university of technology recognised for its global impact has engaged with a London-based edtech firm to help it achieve worldwide reach and growth.

The international team at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) appointed The Access Platform (TAP) to enhance their recruitment strategy.

TAP’s technology enables prospective students of UTS to engage in a virtual space with ambassadors who are already studying at UTS or have graduated, as well as key staff.

Prospective students can ask questions about life on campus and in the city, and also have access to TAPs extensive bank of ambassador-generated video content which tackles the many aspects of university and student life.

International Marketing Manager at UTS, Irene Chung said:

“Choosing the right university is one of the most important decisions in one’s life, particularly for overseas students who do not have much first-hand knowledge of what it takes and what it is like studying in a university in a foreign country.

“We’re very pleased to be able to be among the first universities to leverage TAP to enable prospective students to chat to our students, alumni and staff directly to support them in their decision journey.”

Universities in Australia – and indeed globally – are facing a number of challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. One of the most profound is engaging meaningfully with overseas students.

Traditional open days, student visits and recruitment fairs have been cancelled, instead, being replaced by virtual events. Establishing TAP earlier in 2020, has enabled UTS to use TAP technology to quickly address the cancellation of live events.

But it is the platform’s ability to connect students in an online space, whenever, and wherever they may be in the world, that UTS sees as a key strand of their new recruitment strategy.

TAP is being used by around 100 universities across four continents with thousands of ambassadors and students live on the platform.

It counts colleges at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, as well as UTS among its valued users.

British higher education expert and TAP co-founder Nik Higgins said:

“Days of physically visiting universities on Open Days in a bid to experience student life are pretty much depleted due to the coronavirus.

“But modern technology can enable prospective students to gain a real insight into university life from the comfort of their own home. With the ongoing pandemic and continued border closures, our software is doing exactly this.

“The Access Platform is working with educational institutions across the globe to help potential students find the university that suits their needs.

“UTS, along with a number of universities across Australia, are keen to use innovative technology to play a crucial role in bridging the gap between prospective students and a formal application to study.” 

TAP’s technology gives prospective students a new way to create a conversation at the touch of a button. They can gain a real insight into university life by chatting to student and graduate ambassadors.

Since April 2020, more than 46,000 messages have been exchanged on the UTS platform between potential students and student ambassadors from the university. Around 170 content posts and close to 50 FAQ answers have been published so far.

UTS Insearch, the university’s pathway college, has also signed up to the platform.

The Access Platform currently supports 27 higher education and university partners across Australia and New Zealand.