Let’s forget for a moment that we’re now living through extraordinary times and explore the challenges that were already being faced by the education sector in competing for students.

It’s a subject we’ve become particularly close to, fortunate enough to advise both established education providers and what we firmly believe to be one of the most exciting new entrants in the market.

If you haven’t heard of UA92 – the new university academy based in Trafford, Manchester – then it’s highly possible that you will have heard of the Class of ’92 former Manchester United players who gave it its name.

Epitomised by the enthusiasm of Gary Neville, their passion for the project has been infectious and the team at Truth Creative has been proud to support the initiative, working on branding, student recruitment and interior design among other things.

If getting under the skin of UA92 taught us anything, it’s the importance that is now placed on providing educational institutions with a brand that will not only appeal to students and their parents, but also provide the return on investment demanded of any brand promotion campaign.

Whatever university or higher education establishment you work with, the work of a branding agency is really about putting bums on seats – attracting students - and in my opinion, many education providers really need to provide a tangible opportunity for employability.

Authenticity is important too and what I really loved about UA92 is the way that their ethos is more than just a mantra – they really live it.

Their point of difference is to acknowledge the need for a new form of academic offering recognising the importance of employability and providing students with the real-world skills that will make them popular with a potential employer, rather than simply providing them with an academic degree but no experience.

At UA92, partnerships with the likes of Microsoft and KPMG provide students with experience that will be useful in the workplace.

It’s vital to remember that education is a competitive market. Higher education is now an option for more young people than ever before, but those same young people have multiple choices when it comes to embarking on those first steps towards a career.

According to official UK Government figures released in October 2019, the number of 18-year-olds from England applying for a university place in the current academic year increased by 1.7% despite a fall in the 18-year-old population of 1.8%.

This saw the application rate for 18-year-olds from England increase to a new record of 39.5%.

However, while numbers have risen for people studying their first degree, there has been a steep decline among other undergraduates – those studying part-time.

In addition to coronavirus, it still remains to be seen what impact there will be from Brexit.

One report in The Guardian recently suggested that UK universities could face a financial black hole approaching hundreds of millions of pounds as international students cancel enrolment for the forthcoming academic year.

This comes against a backdrop of increasing competition for domestic students, with parents and undergraduates alike conscious of achieving value for money from a student loan likely to average £36,000.

The considered proposition of UA92 was developed to communicate the practical employability and individual potential we all possess. Rather than academia at its core, personal development resides. It’s a brave move but one that bucks the trend to equip students with the skills they need to achieve their ambition. 

A Round-up of Truth’s Education Experience.

Another Truth Creative client is Manchester High School for Girls, one of the UK’s leading independent girls’ day school, providing education for girls aged 4 to 18. MHSG had three core objectives which they looked to Truth to deliver: to engage and attract lapsed, current and prospective donors to the Pankhurst Bursary Appeal; to deliver engaging editorial-feel newsletters for a multi-faceted audience base; develop the current branding, bringing it to life through key outreach marketing pieces.

In 2016 the “Never Over100ked” campaign was launched aiming to raise funds to support bursary applications to the school and reach their target of 100 girls. Alongside the campaign, Truth created MHSG’s newsletters aimed at the prep and high school audiences.

Salford Business School, part of Salford University, required its own identity outside the University ensuring a distinctive and alternative proposition from its regional counterpart Manchester Business School.

We needed to deliver consistency of brand experience, visual engagement to enable a wider audience reach, and alignment to the new positioning with the School’s brand mission; centred on worldwide business transformation and entrepreneurial opportunity. Truth’s concepts focused on the core reason entrepreneurs are motivated to study higher education. 

The University of Salford was embarking upon a new initiative to create ‘International Hubs’ termed as such to deliver in-country CPD courses; the first being Abu Dhabi.

Truth was briefed to deliver a new site-specific identity to support the high-achiever audiences whilst being respectful of the University’s existing brand guidelines. At the same time, we needed to ensure real impact to enable student recruitment. Truth created a design solution that blended the culture of the University as well as the culture of the UAE. The new identity enabled a transfer of the UoS brand equity, whilst allowing the UAE sub-brand to facilitate a unique presence in the country across both recruitment and industry events.

While we’ve done lots of work in the education sector with providers based in the North West, we’ve also worked further afield with providers including Newcastle University, which came to Truth to launch its new campus in London.

Our challenge there was protecting the characteristics at the heart of the Newcastle University brand, but transposing it to London in a way that would still appeal to international students.

If you have a challenge in the education sector and would like our advice and support, then don’t hesitate to get in touch.

By Jo Scott, Co-founder, Truth Creative