How does it work? Establishing successful partnerships between UK universities and
external providers of experiences overseas.
This webinar was hosted by Jamie Bettles, the Representative of Associate Members on the Butex committee, and the recording is available to view in the members area of the Butex website.
The purpose of this webinar was to demystify the process of forming partnerships between universities and third party providers. During an hour’s webinar, our speakers explored the following themes:
● Defining what a successful partnership can look like.
● Exploring expectations from both sides.
● Who pays what? Discussing funding and finance.
● Legal and procurement: What kinds of contract are common and what does the sign-off process look like?
Four speakers covered both sides of the relationship: Cassandra Holinaty (Absolute Internship) and Danny Lloyd (GoToCo) offered their view as Butex Associate Members; while Alejandra Vicencio (Northumbria University) and Chris Gale (Cardiff University) spoke from the university side.
Here are five key discussion points and outcomes:
1. Start with shared purpose, set expectations and clarify ‘who does what’
Both universities stressed that a “provider” is first and foremost a partner. Northumbria’s new institutional strategy prioritises social mobility and research impact, so Alejandra looked for organisations that reach widening-participation students and can embed credit-bearing or research-led activity. Absolute Internship’s programme with the University of Durham is an example of this approach because it ring-fences places for WP students, lets the university co-interview candidates and provides a lean “basic” package to stretch their budget. Cost still matters, but alignment with mission comes first.
2. Adopt flexible funding models
Reduced Turing allocations mean universities now juggle multiple pots: APP funding, Santander grants, Welsh Government “Taith” funding, alumni gifts and more.
Cassandra outlined three models that Absolute Internship adopt when working with university partners:
|
Model |
Who pays? |
Example |
| University Funded | University covers programme fee for a set number of WP places | Absolute Internship & Durham University |
| Student Funded | Student chooses destination & length; draws on Turing / internal bursary | Absolute Internship & Newcastle University |
| Hybrid | Provider discounts; university tops up with scholarship match | Absolute Internship & University of Birmingham |
| Partner Funded | GoToCo operate fee-free internships where the host school in Asia covers accommodation in exchange for English-language support. That route is highly inclusive, but competitive and harder for universities to forecast uptake. | GoToCo (various partners, UK-wide) |
3. Collaborative risk management and due diligence
Audience members asked questions about selecting ethical partners and completing due diligence before partnering.
Alejandra emphasized that universities should use existing processes rather than starting afresh. Collaborate with colleagues in your legal team. Most universities cover basic checks on external partners’ financial stability, safeguarding, insurance cover and local emergency procedures, but differ in how they collect the evidence. Some examples from our speakers:
● Cardiff adapts its year-long exchange agreement for short programmes, adds a break clause each July and requests a fresh risk assessment annually.
● Northumbria writes one five-year MOU per partner and insists on a single master risk assessment for cohort placements (e.g., physiotherapy students in Fiji with Think Pacific).
Alejandra spoke about building trust and a strong partnership but without the need for an overly complex agreement or procurement process.
What also matters is clarity: who owns each step (marketing, screening, flights, crisis response) and how problems are escalated. Providers with in-country staff who can “fix first, report second” tend to succeed in their more established partnerships, Chris said.
4. Stop the drop-outs before they start
Funding loss isn’t the only reason universities fear late withdrawals from overseas programmes.
Alejandra’s team now requires every applicant to book a one-to-one meeting before they can accept a place. Honest conversations about cost of living abroad, visa wait times and cultural fit have cut Northumbria’s dropout rate to <1 %.
Providers have different approaches. GoToCo takes a £200 deposit to signal commitment; Absolute Internship runs joint pre-departure workshops so students meet staff and university advisers early. “Show them the real itinerary, not a glossy promise, and anxiety melts” Cassandra added.
Danny spoke about the merits of longer programmes overseas in a landscape where the more popular programmes are shorter and shorter. Finding a balance between inclusive programmes and real impact with higher commitment from students is a constant challenge!
5. Measuring impact for both sides
A “successful” partnership, Chris argued, ticks three boxes:
1. Student growth – skills, confidence, clarity on career path.
2. Host benefit – real work delivered for communities and schools, NGOs or start-ups.
3. Institutional momentum – testimonials, ambassadors and data that secure next year’s funding.
Collect blogs, photos and short videos while memories are fresh; invite returning students to front the next recruitment cycle; and share outcome metrics with the provider. When everyone can prove value, renewals become a formality, not a negotiation.
Final thoughts
Budget cuts may force us to rethink programme duration and cost, but they don’t have to shrink ambition. Clear expectations, diversified funding, robust risk planning and early, honest student support keep the doors to global experience open, especially for the students who benefit most. As the webinar showed, the best university-provider partnerships aren’t transactions; they’re co- investments in the next generation of internationally mobile graduates.
Image by freepik
