Over 400 delegates attend UKENIC25 conference
More than 400 delegates from the UK and beyond attended our UKENIC25 conference in London earlier this month.
Held on 1 and 2 December at the QEII Centre in Westminster, the two-day event explored the theme: ‘Innovation and the human connection: harmonising the future of education’, and continued conversations that started at ENIC NORTH in Glasgow in April.
It featured a packed programme of plenaries, panels, presentations and networking opportunities, featuring a high calibre of experts who discussed a broad range of topics.
Amongst the many highlights was the opening plenary on day one, presented by Dr Eleanor Drage, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge, and Co-Director of the Narratives and Justice Programme at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence.
Dr Drage set the scene for the conference with a very broad, thought-provoking perspective on our theme, exploring philosophical, ethical and practical considerations of AI, particularly around technological developments.
Day two began with a Question Time style panel, chaired by UK ENIC’s Chris Lyons, with Professor Simon Thomson (University of Manchester), Noah Webster Sobe (UNESCO), Dr Suzanna Tomassi (Higher Education and TNE Specialist) and Nina Chorzelewski (Association of Colleges).
The sector experts considered innovations, AI, education and opportunity in more detail and the importance of focusing on the human connection.
A host of other panel sessions throughout the event debated topics including fraud, TNE, responsible internationalisation and student voice, as well as English Language, to name only a few.
Meanwhile, breakout sessions included a focus on the agents’ perspective, microcredentials, education in emergencies, automatic recognition, equity, access and higher education, as well as the Global Recognition Convention, amongst others.
There were also a number of UK ENIC Spotlight sessions that looked at the UK education system, Pakistan, Ghana and Nepal.
Chris Lyons, UK ENIC’s Head of Policy and Engagement, and conference programme lead, said: "The UK ENIC conference continues to be amongst the biggest education and skills events in the UK – and this year was certainly no exception.
“Hundreds of delegates from across the international education sector attended including those representing higher and further education admissions, management, marketing, recruitment, registry and compliance.
“By listening to members and with support from our Conference Advisory Group – made up of industry leaders, policy makers and others sector experts – we were able to produce another ambitious programme, with a diverse range of speakers and themes.
“We are grateful to everyone involved in the conference – from our speakers, exhibitors and facilitators to our sponsors and those behind the scenes who help produce this ever-popular event. And of course, to delegates who attend year-on-year.
“We are already looking forward to ENIC NORTH in Glasgow in a few months’ time. Watch this space for more details.”
UKENIC25 was in partnership with LANGUAGECERT. It was presented in association with Skills for English and IELTS.
The event was supported by Oxford International Digital Institute, UniQuest, Gecko, Qualification Check, Ecctis, Enroly, ETS TOEFL, Cambridge University Press & Assessment, ProspectsHedd and Trinity College London.
Members will find photos from the UKENIC25 conference on the UK ENIC LinkedIn channel.
Save the date for UKENIC26: Our two-day conference in London will be held on Monday 30th November and Tuesday 1st December 2026. Watch this space for further details.