What HELOA does

HELOA (the Higher Education Liaison Officers Association) is a UK-registered professional membership association founded in 1990 that serves higher education liaison, student recruitment, outreach, and widening participation professionals working in universities and HE institutions across the United Kingdom. It is a member-led charity governed by a voluntary UK Committee comprising the Chair and six Vice-Chairs, with day-to-day operations supported by an office manager and office assistant based at Edge Hill University in Ormskirk, Lancashire. The organization reaches members through nine regional groups covering Anglia, London, Midlands, North East/Yorkshire/Humber, North West/Northern Ireland, Scotland, South East, South West, and Wales/Cymru, providing local engagement alongside a national agenda.

HELOA's core product surface is its annual programme of training and development conferences: the New Practitioners' Conference, the Professional Development Conference (CPD), the HELOA National Conference, and the Networking and Practitioner Wellbeing Conference. The association also runs the Commendations of Contribution and Honorary Membership recognition program (2022-2026), maintains a document library of AGM minutes, role descriptors, policies, and guidelines, publishes blog content covering sector trends including AI in student recruitment and the cost-of-living student journey, and operates an Annual General Meeting as a governance and member engagement mechanism. The underlying technology platform is the heloa.ac.uk website, which serves as the hub for membership information, document library, blog content, event registration, and member administration, supplemented by LinkedIn, Instagram, and email communications.

HELOA's revenue model is built on three streams: recurring institutional and individual membership subscriptions (annual billing, with fees reviewed at the AGM), conference and training registration fees across its four annual events, and corporate sponsorship and strategic partnerships. Named partners include UCAS (via the UCAS Events Working Group, providing representation at HE and careers fairs), IDP (co-developing the Student Cost of Living Calculator and delivering member webinars), Gecko (AI-powered student engagement platform sponsoring the Professional Development Conference), and Prospectus Plus (digital prospectus provider contributing thought leadership). The organization does not disclose pricing publicly and operates without external investors, reflecting its charitable, member-led structure.

Name

HELOA

Legal name

HELOA

Website

https://heloa.ac.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

HELOA is a UK-wide professional membership association serving higher education liaison, student recruitment, and outreach professionals. It delivers training conferences, regional networking across nine UK groups, recognition awards, policy guidance, and partner programs to universities and individual practitioners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Higher Education Governance & Quality Policy Research (EDADADAI)

Keywords

• Higher education liaison
• Professional membership association
• Student recruitment training
• Education outreach networking
• HE professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

Ormskirk, Lancashire

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Institutional Membership: Universities and higher education institutions pay membership fees to join HELOA and gain access to member benefits including training, networking, and resources
2. Individual Membership: Individual practitioners can join HELOA as members, likely with annual subscription fees
3. Conference and Training Fees: Revenue generated from National Conference, Professional Development Conference, New Practitioners' Conference, and Networking and Practitioner Wellbeing Conference registrations
4. Sponsorship: Corporate sponsors like Gecko sponsor conferences and events, providing revenue to the association

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

HELOA (Higher Education Liaison Officers Association) is a UK-wide professional membership association for education liaison officers working in higher education. It provides institutional and individual memberships, runs training conferences, facilitates networking through nine regional groups, and offers professional development resources and policy guidance for practitioners in student recruitment, outreach, and widening participation.

Product overview

HELOA (Higher Education Liaison Officers Association) is a professional membership association for individuals working in education liaison and higher education recruitment in the UK. It is not a product or software company. The organization provides membership services including training conferences (New Practitioners' Conference, Professional Development Conference, National Conference, Networking and Practitioner Wellbeing Conference), professional development resources, networking opportunities through regional groups, awards recognition (Commendations of Contribution, Honorary Membership), policy guidance (Good Practice Guidelines, EDI Policy), and a partnerships framework. HELOA's activities are organized at UK and local levels through nine regional groups covering England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The association facilitates information exchange, advocates for the higher education sector, and supports members in providing guidance to prospective students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Institutional Membership Subscription membership for universities and HE institutions that gives staff access to training, professional development, networking events, regional group activities, policy guidance, and the document library.
• Individual Membership Annual subscription for individual professionals in education liaison, student recruitment, outreach, and related roles seeking professional development, networking, and sector resources.
• New Practitioners' Conference Training conference for new entrants to higher education liaison work, providing introductory professional development and networking.
• Professional Development Conference (CPD) CPD-focused training conference offering continuing professional development sessions for experienced HE liaison professionals.
• HELOA National Conference Flagship annual national conference providing training, sector updates, and networking opportunities for HE liaison professionals across the UK.
• Networking and Practitioner Wellbeing Conference Conference focused on practitioner wellbeing and peer networking for education liaison professionals working in higher education.
• Member Document Library and Resources Online document library providing AGM minutes, conference materials, role descriptors, policies, and guidelines specific to HE liaison work, accessible to members.
• Commendations of Contribution and Honorary Membership Annual awards programme recognizing members who have made significant contributions to HELOA and the wider HE liaison sector, with Honorary Membership as the highest honour.

Quantifiable outcome

• Training provided at low cost to members
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GeckocoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 9 June 2025Gecko, an AI-powered student engagement platform, sponsored the HELOA Professional Development Conference and contributed guest content about AI in student recruitment, outreach and engagement. Gecko provides resources and sessions on using AI tools for professional development.
• IDPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2025IDP collaborated with HELOA on the Student Cost of Living Calculator, powered by Whatuni. IDP hosted a webinar for HELOA members on 13 May 2025 about financial readiness and the student journey. The partnership supports financial education and guidance for prospective students.
• Prospectus PlusminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 November 2024Prospectus Plus, a digital alternative to traditional printed prospectuses, contributed a guest blog about the evolution of university prospectuses. The content provides insights on digital transformation in higher education marketing.
• UCAScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHELOA works with UCAS through the UCAS Events Working Group. Representatives attend HE and careers fairs organized by UCAS, schools and other organizations. This partnership enables members to engage with prospective students at key recruitment events.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• GuildHE: UK mission group representing smaller and specialist higher education institutions. Comparable as a UK-only HE membership organisation that represents institutional members, engages in sector policy, and convenes events.
• AMOSSHE (Association of Managers of Student Services in Higher Education): UK membership association for managers of student services in higher education. Closely comparable to HELOA in structure: UK-only, member-led, conference and training-driven, serving a defined HE professional cohort. Strongly comparable on member-led governance and training-portfolio business model.
• AGCAS (Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services): UK professional body for those working in higher education careers advisory and employability services. Directly comparable as a UK-only HE professional association whose members frequently collaborate with HELOA members in student-facing roles.
• ISE (Institute of Student Employers): UK membership body for organisations that recruit graduates and students into employment. Comparable membership-association structure serving a UK student-employability audience that overlaps HELOA's recruitment-and-outreach remit.
• AUA (Association of University Administrators): UK professional association for higher education administrators and managers. Highly comparable as a UK-only, member-driven association offering training, CPD, networking, and sector policy representation for HE professionals. Operates a similar conference and CPD calendar model.

Others

• UCAS: UK's shared higher education admissions service and a named HELOA strategic partner. Comparable as adjacent HE sector infrastructure rather than a direct competitor; partners with HELOA on events and liaison activity.
• Office for Students (OfS): England's higher education regulator and funder. Adjacent to HELOA in the UK HE ecosystem rather than a peer; comparable only as a sector-stakeholder body that HELOA engages with on policy.
• Wonkhe: UK higher education policy, analysis, and commentary platform. Adjacent sector participant serving HE professionals with content and events, more thematic than direct peer.

Broad incumbents

• CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education): Global not-for-profit serving education advancement professionals (advancement, alumni relations, communications, marketing). Overlaps HELOA's outreach and student-recruitment remit but at international scale and broader scope.

Regional players

• NASPA (National Association of Student Personnel Administrators): US-based association for student affairs and student personnel professionals in higher education. Functionally comparable as an HE professional association for student-facing practitioners, but operating in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/higher-education-liaison-officers-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/heloa_uk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HELOA