The Principal of Brockenhurst College, Mrs. Di Roberts CBE, is to accompany the Prime Minister on a business delegation to China this week. The delegation, which will include representatives from a number of UK businesses and academic institutions, will visit Beijing and other cities to discuss new opportunities for the development of UK-China partnerships.
Mrs. Roberts will be attending as Principal of Brockenhurst College and in her capacity as Board Member of the Association of Colleges and will be the only representative from Further Education on the visit. Senior representatives from institutions as diverse as the Arts Council, BP, the CBI, Rolls Royce, Jack Wills, the UK Space Agency, and University sector will be amongst those participating.
During the three-day visit, Mrs. Roberts will be able to demonstrate Brock’s expertise in partnership working in China and to illustrate the opportunities for joint working offered by Further Education, and the tangible benefits for our local students and community. She will also meet with existing partners there and, importantly, sign a new agreement with Jia Xiang School for the development of a new international school.
Mrs. Roberts said: “This visit is a tremendous opportunity for us to strengthen our existing links with China and to plan further developments for the benefit of our local students and business community. Brock’s international engagement plays a vitally important part in the success of the College through developing the employability skills of our students and their international awareness. Our Confucius Classroom initiative enables students to gain knowledge and understanding of Chinese culture and working practices across areas such as business, law and economics, in addition to learning Mandarin. The international students selecting to study with us adds another dimension to studying at Brock through sharing the cultures of different countries and effectively preparing our students to compete in a global environment. The partnership with our sister college in Chengdu developed some years ago has provided opportunities for students and staff to visit China and learn from each other. Our reputation as a provider of world-class education can only be strengthened yet further by this visit and I am honoured to be a part of it.”
Brockenhurst College students benefit from working alongside high calibre students from across Europe, the Americas, Australia and Asia, who choose to study at the College. This international dimension adds a richness to the student experience in the same way it does in high performing Universities. In addition Mandarin has become a popular subject for Brockenhurst students in recent years and many other students choose to study Chinese as an Enrichment option to give them an understanding of the language and culture of China, and further the opportunities for their future careers. Brock has also established a ‘Confucius Classroom’ initiative that promotes Chinese culture and facilitates the teaching of Mandarin to children in our local schools.