On the morning of September 21, BritCham Shanghai had the honour of hosting a roundtable meeting at our Chamber office, with Scott McDonald, CEO of the British Council, as the distinguished guest.
This event was part of the Chamber’s Global Visionary series, dedicated to cultivating robust business connections, offering access to global business insights, and facilitating meaningful interactions among our members and visiting senior management/VIPs from around the world. The occasion provided a unique opportunity for members to directly engage with influential leaders from multinational corporations, exploring potential avenues for collaborative growth and mutual benefit.
The gathering commenced with a warm welcome from Janet Jiang, Deputy Executive Director of BritCham Shanghai, and Donald Hu, Head of Education of British Council, who extended his greetings to all the attendees.
The roundtable meeting served as an essential platform for dialogue and collaboration among stakeholders in the international education sector. During the meeting, the attendees exchanged their experiences and perspectives regarding the improvement of student mobility and transnational education within the current context of China’s reopening following the COVID-19 pandemic. The attendees identified common challenges faced by Chinese students studying in the UK and UK students studying in China, such as language barriers, cultural adjustment, and academic expectations. The attendees have also addressed issues related to competition from other English-speaking countries, the diversification of international students, and the availability of post-study work opportunities.
Scott McDonald, highlighted the British Council’s dedication to play a pivotal role in bridging connections between business, education, and government partners, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange to promote international education opportunities. Strategies were discussed to effectively navigate challenges within the UK education sector in China while sustaining the attractiveness of British education within the Chinese market, such as tailoring educational programs, enhancing language support, forging partnerships with Chinese institutions, and providing post-study work options.
The roundtable offered a unique opportunity for Chamber members to directly engage with influential leaders in global insights, promoting collaboration and knowledge sharing, all with the overarching objective of enhancing international education opportunities.
Among the esteemed attendees were representatives from The Sino-British College, The University of Edinburgh, The University of Manchester, Xian Jiaotong-Liverpool University, FCDO, British Council and BE Education.
