This blog post was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

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Leigh Turner

Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna

Part of UK in Ukraine

17th November 2011

Ukrainians studying worldwide #2

Three young Ukrainians approach me at a conference.  Having confirmed my identity, they take me to one side to say how much they have enjoyed doing Masters degrees in the UK and how different it was from their previous experience.

I blogged recently about the “WorldWideStudies” programme of the Viktor Pinchuk Foundation to give outstanding young Ukrainian students a chance to study overseas.  I noted that lots of the students were going to do Masters degrees in the UK; wished them all the best; and looked forward to seeing them again when they returned to Ukraine.

The three young people at the conference have just returned from a year in the UK with the WorldWideStudies programme.  They are Nataliya Katser-Buchkovska, back from an MA in law and economics at University College London; Nataliya Stranadko, who’s done an MA in global environmental change at the University of  Leicester; and Olga Dolinina, returning with an MA in sports management from LondonMetropolitanUniversity.  They comment that the quality of the education they received was high, with a particular emphasis on independence (“you have to take control of your own studies programme”); a focus on team work; high-quality guest speakers; and a multinational body of students.  Compared with their previous studies, they said, there was less emphasis on lectures and seminars and more on group discussions, interviews and on-line presentations.  Interesting experiences included a field trip toKenyaand an internship with the London 2012 Committee.  It had, they said, been a brilliant educational and life experience.

I’m delighted to hear that these three students found their study in the UK so worthwhile.  I wish them all the best in pursuing their future careers in Ukraine.

Ukrainian students with MA degree from the UK

1 comment on “Ukrainians studying worldwide #2

  1. Dear Leigh,

    It was really pleasure to meet you at Yalta European Strategy and discussed our education experience and impressions in the UK! I would like to thank you for your speech and wishes to us in your blog!
    I can tell that World Wide Studies Programme of the Victor Pinchuk Foundation gave us many opportunities and most of WWS candidates/students choose their studies in the UK because of high quality education as you pointed. My Master course in the UK and field trip to Kenya gave me unforgettable experience and changed a part of me and my vision. I would like to thank you as a British Ambassador to Ukraine and all staff of the Embassy for your support and suggestions! I will try to implement my British knowledge and experience in Ukraine as well as develop a bilateral collaboration in environmental protection between the UK and Ukraine!

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About Leigh Turner

I hope you find this blog interesting and, where appropriate, entertaining. My role in Vienna covers the relationship between Austria and the UK as well as the diverse work of…

I hope you find this blog interesting and, where appropriate, entertaining. My role in Vienna covers the relationship between Austria and the UK as well as the diverse work of the UN and other organisations; stories here will reflect that.

About me: I arrived in Vienna in August 2016 for my second posting in this wonderful city, having first served here in the mid-1980s. My previous job was as HM Consul-General and Director-General for Trade and Investment for Turkey, Central Asia and South Caucasus based in Istanbul.

Further back: I grew up in Nigeria, Exeter, Lesotho, Swaziland and Manchester before attending Cambridge University 1976-79. I worked in several government departments before joining the Foreign Office in 1983.

Keen to go to Africa and South America, I’ve had postings in Vienna (twice), Moscow, Bonn, Berlin, Kyiv and Istanbul, plus jobs in London ranging from the EU Budget to the British Overseas Territories.

2002-6 I was lucky enough to spend four years in Berlin running the house, looking after the children (born 1992 and 1994) and doing some writing and journalism.

To return to Vienna as ambassador is a privilege and a pleasure. I hope this blog reflects that.