Opportunities to build on overseas relationships
NOTTINGHAM'S relationship with China, Malaysia and South East Asia is exceptional. Prof Greenaway advises the Government on opportunities.
But its campuses in Ningbo and Malaysia are also opportunities for Nottingham to seize in terms of business relationships, developing warmer relationships as a city with overseas students and keeping those resulting friendships in good repair.
"We do need to welcome them into our city and really make them feel part of the place," Prof Greenaway says.
"These are students who might be here for three, four, five years, a period of transformation for them. They return to their own country, they are smart people with a good degree and get good jobs. Most are successful. Some are spectacularly successful.
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"We want to be in a position where, if they are very successful and they are thinking of getting into export where they can set up some activity, the first place we want them to think of is Nottingham if they feel an affinity. a love for the environment."
A great asset is the name of the city, helped by a large population of former international students who have graduated from the university.
Prof. Greenaway says: "Let's be more creative in the way we maintain contact with them. We do that as a university. The city should think about ways in which, as a city, it can try and build on and benefit from these relationship.
"This could include events, laying on more events that aren't led by the universities, where the city says 'it is great to have you here and we would like to celebrate that' – sport, a cultural event,
"Of course, there are budgetary and capacity constraints. Invite them a couple of times a year to the Council House, make them feel special, give them a tour."
2 Comments
by voxpopuli
Tuesday, February 12 2013, 7:25PM
“Everyone should be in favour of another country's brightest and hardest working young achievers coming here and paying for their study, sharing our culture, and either returning to their homelands afterwards to contribute to their own economic development, or stay here long term and contribute positively to our economy.
As kissit suggests, it's another country's dregs we could well do without.
I'm not too keen on inviting them to the Council House though. As soon as that happens our councillors and their spouses will want cultural get-to-know-you fact-finding missions to Malaysian beaches and the Great Wall of China....with perhaps a short detour from their tax payer funded 5* hotel for a pointless meeting with some equally unimportant foreign dignitaries.
How about instead, our local high-tech manufacturing companies show them round their shiney factories?”
by veritas
Tuesday, February 12 2013, 1:29PM
“Non-EU students bring in millions (if not billions) to the economy nationally and here in Nottingham. Their fees help keep HE and to a degree, forgive the pun, FE colleges financially sustainable. Whenever I go into town the fashion outlets are heaving with Chinese students spending their parents' money on keeping the town centre open for business. Its a total no-brainer. Of course we should do all we can to encourage education as an export service. Its therefore very difficult to see why they have been stigmatised as potential illegal immigrants by the coalition and scapegoated for a problem which is more to do with the influx of people from EU countries than it is bogus foreign students. The City Council should hold a formal reception for overseas students and should endeavour to find ways of building a positive link with them while they are here. These young people will be the political and business leaders of their countries in future and when they are in positions of influence wouldn't it be great if they remembered their stay in Nottingham with pleasure and thought of us first when looking for investment opportunities in the UK.”