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UKAT offers conferences, webinars and other events throughout the year, both online and in various locations around the UK. These events provide professional development opportunities for personal tutors and academic advisors who are invested in helping students achieve academic success.

The UKAT Annual Conference is the major event of the year and provides an opportunity to learn in general sessions from experts in the field, gain knowledge and review best practices with colleagues in concurrent sessions, and participate in interactive workshops. The variety of learning formats also may include poster sessions, exhibitor presentations, and formal and informal networking opportunities.

Upcoming Events

  • UKAT International Symposium 2025 - World-centred Guidance: How do we do that?

    Thursday 18 December 2025, 14:00 - Thursday 18 December 2025, 15:30
    Online

    Tine Wåst Nielsen, Rune Mastrup Lauridsen, Josephine Gabi, Oscar van den Wijngaard

    Education is often framed as a project of personal achievement and opportunities. But what happens when we shift the perspective and ask how the individual’s educational choices might matter for the world? This interactive discussion session challenges the audience to reconsider the dominant “what’s in it for me?” lens in guidance and explores a world-centred approach inspired by Hartmut Rosa and Gert Biesta.

    By reconnecting educational choices with responsibility, contribution, and resonance, we will explore how moving beyond self-gain is not only good for the world but also deepens the individual’s sense of meaning and connection.

  • UKAT Annual Conference 2026

    Monday 13 April 2026, 09:00 - Tuesday 14 April 2026, 16:00
    Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK

    Spotlight on Student Futures

    Higher education institutions today face tremendous complexity and uncertainty. Within such a time of immense and interconnected challenges locally, nationally and globally, universities have opportunities for systemic transformation addressing current challenges in higher education, such as funding, competition for students, the decline in student engagement on campus, increasing mental health concerns, the rise of artificial intelligence and the role of personal tutoring and academic advising to meet student needs and improve student outcomes in a changing world.

    This conference offers a timely opportunity for invaluable dialogue on the role that personal tutoring and academic advising can play in creating possible liberated and empowering futures for students in higher education. The theme of this year’s conference, ‘Spotlight on Student Futures’, reflects our commitment to empowering students to achieve their full potential through dedicated personal tutoring and advising, broadening their horizons, fostering a sense of belonging and feelings of mattering, supporting mental health and wellbeing, and continuation and graduate outcomes.

    This conference aims to bring together students, professional services, educators, personal tutors and advisors, researchers and scholars, those in senior strategic leadership positions, and policymakers to explore the challenges HE institutions are grappling with, share insights, exchange visions, and identify action-oriented solutions.

    Join us for an inspiring co-learning and thinking sessions that foster engagement and collaboration through thought-provoking:

    • Keynotes: Leading higher education experts will share their knowledge and insights into the role of advising and tutoring in shaping Student Futures.
    • Presentations: Experts will share in-depth insights and practical strategies based on their extensive experience, with dedicated time for audience thoughts and questions.
    • Interactive Workshops: Participatory sessions will encourage participants to explore new approaches, reflect on shared experiences, and develop actionable strategies and solutions collaboratively.
    • Discussion Panels: Facilitated by leading scholars, will offer authentic dialogic discussions of key challenges and opportunities in advising and tutoring with interactive Q&A.
    • Immersive Interactive Simulation using CAVE (Cave Automatic Virtual Environment): Participants will immerse and respond to students’ real-life situations/lived experiences in a safe simulated learning environment.

Events in italic typeface are not provided by UKAT but are 3rd party events which may be of interest to UKAT members