Edinburgh College staff travel to China to deliver flagship international project

Edinburgh College is this week celebrating the first successful in-country delivery of one of its flagship international programmes. For four weeks across February and March, six Edinburgh College lecturers travelled to Hainan to deliver an intensive Business English course to cohorts of students studying at Hainan University’s College of International Studies.

The course, which is designed to provide Hainan University students with greater fluency and confidence in English in business settings, is embedded into Hainan University’s four-year undergraduate Business English programme, giving enhanced career opportunities for students on graduation.

The innovative programme was nominated for the Educational Partnership of the Year award at the 2021 China-Scotland Business Awards. Since then, more than 140 students have enrolled on the programme, and the positive impact of the programme over that period is now beginning to be seen, with 48 students from the original 2020-2021 cohort (now in their third year of the programme) recently passing the Cambridge B2 Business Vantage exam. Preparing students for this internationally recognised exam is a key aim of the course.

While the programme has been running online since its launch in 2020, and produced impressive results over that period, due to the COVID-19 pandemic this is the first time Edinburgh College staff have been able to travel to China to deliver the programme face-to-face. To mark this significant milestone in the project, the College’s Vice-Principal, Jon Buglass, visited Hainan University during the course to meet with senior leaders, as well as key education stakeholders from across Hainan province.

With development of the education system being a key policy priority for Hainan, this first visit of Edinburgh College’s senior leadership and lecturing team to Hainan also attracted considerable local media attention, with coverage of the course and the visit featuring on Hainan’s local TV news.

The programme has now been extended for a further five years and Edinburgh College is keen to expand its partnership with Hainan University and broaden its work in Hainan province in the future.

Jon Buglass, Edinburgh College Vice-Principal:

“It was a great privilege to visit our partners at Hainan University and to see first-hand the impact our joint programme is having for students there who are hoping to progress in careers in international business.

“I’d like to put on record my thanks to Principal Jin Shan and his staff for the wonderful hospitality they have shown both to me during my visit and to the rest of the Edinburgh College team over the past month. This partnership is one that Edinburgh College values hugely and we look forward to continuing our work with Hainan University, and expanding our work in Hainan province, in the months and years ahead.”

Sarah Gore, Edinburgh College International Business Manager:

“Everyone at Edinburgh College is delighted at the first successful in-country delivery of this course. While our online-only delivery during the pandemic has produced impressive results, we know that the optimal delivery model for this programme was always going to include a mix of online and face-to-face components and we’re delighted that we have now, finally, been able to realise that plan.

“I’d like to thank our fantastic lecturing team who travelled to Hainan, as well as the dedicated Hainan University students who are studying with us. Together they have made this course a real success and we are excited to continue our relationship with Hainan University and deepen our connections in Hainan province in the future.”