Dr Orla Kelly

A recording of the session, and other useful things, will be available through Connect-Ed Network -- find out more on LinkedIn or visit www.connect-ed.network

/end

I know fairly little about international students recruitment, and the challenges graduates face if they want to remain in the UK, which is one of the reasons why I wanted to bring this panel together

6/n

There was acknowledgement of recent policy changes in Australia, Canada, and ongoing challenges in USA, that shows that the UK isn't alone with its difficult/unwelcoming environment for international students, staff, and their families

5/n

A Senior Policy Officer from Universities Scotland offered some damning insight into the hefty cost of the process in the UK, compared to other nations.

4/n

On the panel we had a founder who has spent £50k jumping through hurdles to transition through Student Visa, Skilled Worker Visa, and now on a Global Talent Visa, who is leading his global business from Glasgow. £50,000 🤯
3/n

The network is mainly for the enterprise support people that work in Scotland's HE system, whether that's employed by a university, or an external expert that's brought in as an external advisor, mentor, Professor of Practice, Entrepreneur in Residence, etc
2/n

Fortuitous timing, but yesterday as UK Gov published their White Paper on immigration, we held a panel discussion "Exploring the landscape for international founders", as part of the Connect-Ed Network www.connect-ed.network
1/n

Day tripping to Aberdeen today for a Connect-Ed meeting on entrepreneurial ecosystems, an international perspective.

First leg of the journey is a train to Dundee, a journey I used to do multiple times a week for several years.
I'm no longer a regular commuter... I miss it, and I don't miss it!

Path under a tree with pink blossoms, sun in blue sky

A short 5 mile walk today, through very bonnie Stirling, gearing up for the Glasgow Kiltwalk on Sunday - raising money for Social Bite to support their mission to end homelessness. Any and all donations welcome! 🙏 www.justgiving.com/page/orla-st...

Dundee University to cut 632 jobs to plug £35m deficit The University and College Union condemned the

The numbers here are staggering. Decimate literally means 1 in 10, but this is double that. Hard to rationalise, it'll be devastating for the city.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

A tree trunk covered in ivy, bare branches (no leaves) over a still, wide river. River bank in distance. Overcast sky.

Go touch some grass!

I don't really have time for this today, too much to do... which is all the more reason to get out for a wee half hour round the river.

You can't drink from an empty cup, etc etc etc

Season 2 of the Academic Adventures podcast is here! To celebrate #IWD2025 we're delighted to welcome Prof Gillian Fleming from @mintventures.bsky.social for a great convo about supporting women-led businesses and female entrepreneurs.
Listen here www.convergechallenge.com/the-academic....

Screenshot of NYT Spelling Bee game, with word "HOGMANAY" and pop up "Not on word list"

The Scots of this world will be outraged at today's @nytimes.com Spelling Bee.

Also, the word gammon is not on the word list 🤷🏻‍♀️

Those are now the only two words I can see.

... Wrapped up my day with excellent session on Design Thinking from Fraser Bruce, DJCAD, as part of the Connect-Ed network

Hosted by the @timeshighered.bsky.social Outstanding Entrepreneurial University, no less!

Off to Dundee today. I used to do this three times per week, and its now £34.80 return on the train 🫠

Grateful for moderately reliable train WiFi so I could join a call, not so keen on finishing that call in a freezing cold Dundee train station.

...

What a year! Hopefully some good things on the horizon for you all

Canal with still water reflecting cloudy sky and bare trees. Narrow path with grass verge to the right.

A meeting at Heriot Watt today means a dander along the canal. Preferred mode of transport!

I was a bit of an excited kid getting my sleeper train back to Scotland last night!

I'm looking forward to the next iterations of the programme, some online and some in person.
(3/3)

Ceri and Lesley at NCEE were excellent facilitators, but we also benefited from input from various different senior leaders (at VC or other exec team level) - brilliantly candid, leading to open and interesting discussions.
(Venue and food at Saïd Business School was great too!)
(2/3)

This week, I had an eye-opening few days on the NCEE Entrepreneurial University Leaders programme. Valuable to bring me out of my Scottish KE&I bubble, and engage with a cohort of people working across HE - legal, careers, IT, estates, executive support, plus learning & teaching and research
(1/3)

...
As a commuter that tries *so hard* to use active travel and public transport to get to various locations across Scotland, rather than the easier option of just hopping in my car, the claw back of off peak pricing and now a price hike on the trains ... 🤷🏻‍♀️🫤

These two headlines, a day apart 🤯

I don't work in transport, I have sympathy that the picture is probably way more complicated than these headlines and articles cover.

However!
...

There are a significant number of other partners contributing to the programme, including developing additional assets and resources, and looking to other sources of funding and influencing policy. Many moving parts, and an exciting project to be part of.

(/end)

There are also challenges around our limited pool of experts, and that pool lacking diversity, that we hope to address, or at least better understand, as this programme evolves.

(4/n)

Over the next few months, we're planning several themed sessions with expert facilitators, to contribute to wider discussions on how we identify and deploy 'external experts' in our unis and colleges, to help them navigate the complex HE/FE environment to have the greatest impact.

(3/n)

This is a result of years of conversations around meaningful collaboration to support our 'entrepreneurial campuses'.

I've been working closely with Ross Tuffee, co-author of Scot Gov's Entrepreneurial Campus Blueprint, and grateful for underpinning resource from Scottish Funding Council.

(2/n)

A sign with CONNECT-ED branding visible, people standing in distance, in room/corridor with concrete pillars

Earlier this week, we held our first in a series of upskilling and networking events for a growing ecosystem of Entrepreneurs in Residence, Commercial Champions, Mentors, and our Enterprise Support colleagues across Scotland (1/n)

Microsoft's muti-factor authentication coupled with Scotlrail's patchy WiFi is a special kind of hell

Walk once a day 👍

Selfie of woman in purple beanie hat and orange coat, clear blue sky in background

Graveyard in foreground, (Stirling) Castle on hill in background, clear blue sky

Blinded by the sun in today's bitterly cold walk around Stirling Castle. A smidgen of vitamin D!