Bis research paper number 128 The wider benefits of international higher education in the uk

Case study: I60 
Interviewee I19 came to the UK from Hong Kong as a teenager to study at Cheltenham 
Ladies College, then a Foundation degree at Kingston and BA in design at the University 
of the Arts London (Central St Martins). Her father’s aviation business in China sells 
products on behalf of European partners into Asia. She reported having a great time in 
her years in British education, forging friendships with people of all nationalities and 
enjoying the style of learning. Although she would have liked to work in design in 
London, visa limitations meant she returned to Hong Kong and joined the family firm 
where she is currently a manager. 
I19 believes she has added competitive advantage to their business through her 
international experience, her fluent English language and also high transferable skills 
developed as part of her degree (including presentation and project management). She 
manages the company’s PR and also entertains business partners when they visit Hong 
Kong; understanding European culture and being able to relate to people irrespective of 
cultural background really helps.
One of their main suppliers is British, a relationship she manages, and they are currently 
setting up a joint venture with a British company in Hong Kong. She expects to take over 
from her father to run the business in around 5 years time. 
She now regards both England and Hong Kong as ‘home’ and returns to the UK twice a 
year for holiday and business. Away from her professional work, she has assisted UK 
friends looking for jobs in Asia and also arranged for quite well-known DJs within her UK 
networks to play in Hong Kong. 
4.2.3 Benefit type A3: Professional networks 
Many alumni reported that they maintained informal professional networks with fellow 
alumni and other personal contacts made while they were in the UK. These were global 
but included contacts based in the UK. As professional networks these offer the possibility 
of future business transactions and collaborations of economic value to the UK.