Editor’s note: After many successful years as College Director, Martin Jones retired in 2022. The current College Director at UWE Bristol’s International College is Stewart Watkins.
My name is Martin Jones and I am the College Director at UWE Bristol’s International College. As we celebrate 10 years since the College opened in September 2012, I wanted to reflect on our international student community and how far we have come.
Looking back over the last 10 years, 2 things stand out in my mind: the diversity of our college community and the privileged role we, as staff members, have in each student’s journey.
People from diverse backgrounds come together
The range of countries our students come from is truly global, and every single student who arrives here brings something unique to the College: their culture and their life experience. This cultural exchange is part of what makes studying here so special — everyone is encouraged to share their perspectives, history, and lifestyles with others.
Similarly, our staff are from a wide variety of backgrounds and locations in the UK and around the world. However, there is one big thing we have in common: we are all dedicated to helping our students realise their academic ambitions, and develop the skills they need to thrive at university and in the world of work.
A wide range of study options
UWE Bristol’s International College’s study offering is almost as diverse as our student community! Teaching over 40 modules across 3 levels of study (Foundation Certificate, International Year One and Pre-Master’s) means that the College offers something for almost everyone.
We also have study options covering a range of subject areas, including engineering, finance, social science, and health. So, whether you want to build bridges, be a banker, design aircrafts, understand the mind, or ease someone’s pain, we have the course for you.
Indeed, the list of programmes we offer has grown over the last 10 years. This is to ensure that we give students an ever-greater choice of undergraduate and postgraduate pathway courses to more than 100 degrees at our partner university, UWE Bristol.
How our students grow as individuals
One of the great pleasures of having seen so many students pass through the doors of the College during the past decade is witnessing how they change as they move onto university.
Every year, I bump into former students on campus and notice the transformation that has taken place since we met in those first few days at one of our exciting Welcome Weeks. Their level of confidence and their application to their studies always grow significantly.
In front of me, I see a young person who has benefited from their own hard work and the guidance they receive from our dedicated team of staff at the College. It fills me with enormous pride and makes me realise that we are all here at UWE Bristol’s International College for one reason only: student success.
Join UWE Bristol’s International College student community
We are always excited to welcome new students to the College, so if you would like to join our community and be part of the next 10 years of our history, then why not get in touch and explore your study options?
Our education advisers can tell you all about the degrees on offer at UWE Bristol and which of the pathway courses at UWE Bristol’s International College best suits your goals and study level.
I look forward to welcoming you here in the future!
