Working with employers in China on their Returnee (In China employers refer to Chinese Students who have studied overseas as ‘Returnees’) strategies continues to be a hot topic. In Partnership with 51 Jobs who are the largest jobs and employment site in China we organized an event for both of our employer clients in China on Returnees.
Our goal through our International Student Jobs portal GradConnection Campus, is to help International Students studying at Western Institutions increase their employability outcomes. GradConnection Campus allows International Students studying at Universities in Australia, United Kingdom, USA, Canada and New Zealand to connect with employers in their home countries and help ensure they have employment options for a smooth transition back home after their studies. Although China is only one country where International Students come from Chinese students make up over 25% of all international students. Out of a total pool of over 1.7 million international students from the 5 destinations mentioned above 500,000 of these students are from China.
Through having a unique perspective of operating with employers in Western Countries and in China, we do see common misconceptions around what Universities within Western Institutions consider appropriate for the employability of Chinese students back home. Taking this into consideration we have identified what needs to be done to achieve the desired outcome for both parties of increasing the employability of Returnee students.
Our Western Universities Returnee Strategy event on June 17th 2016 in Shanghai allowed us to open up this conversation with the top employers of Returnee Students in China and bring these findings to Western Institutions all over the world. Our research in this space is ongoing, if you would like to know more please register for our event below or contact us at [email protected].
Returnee Event 2016 –
Opening by Mr. He, the Deputy Head of Campus at 51 Jobs. Mr. He thanked the audience for participating and discussed the exciting opportunities ahead for employers in looking to recruit in the Returnee market.
Followed by GradConnection Director Tony Ye who spoke on GradConnection Campus and what we do with Universities and Employers around the world.
GradConnection Director David Jenkins presented on key numbers around where the Returnees are studying and what they’re studying in the United Kingdom, USA and Australia.
Paul Blackmore, the Divisional Head for Student Employability was the keynote speaker. Paul discussed –
Meeting the needs of a global labour market – a University perspective
- Career development models adopted by Western Universities (common practice between career practitioner communities like AGCAS, NACE, NAGCAS, CACEE) – the importance of early career planning before and as soon as a student arrives.
- Aspects of western education that make returnee students extremely employable.
- The importance of extra-curricular engagement by students and what employers might want to look out for.
- How Universities aim to develop support services further – pre-departure advice, peer-to-peer support, more strategic links with partners (commercial and HEIs) in china and around the world.
Event Conclusion and how Universities can be involved in the future
The 2016 Returnee Shanghai event was a great success with local employers. Over 80 individual Chinese Employers attended, of these employers they are responsible for over 1,000 potential roles for Returnees. However, it’s critical that Universities understand the needs of these employers if they are to have success in helping their international students become more employable when they return back home.
In June 2017 we’re aiming to open up this conversation further between Universities and Employers not only in China but throughout Asia. If yourself or your University is interested in attending, you can join our 2017 Returnee Conference mailing list by completing the registration of interest form below:
Register your Interest in our Shanghai Returnee Conference 2017.