Bangkok--20 Apr--Stamford International University
On the 1st April, Stamford International University coordinated with leading national and international companies to organize the ‘Meet the Professionals 2015’ event, designed to enhance student competitiveness. This aim is achieved by developing skills that improve employability and long-term career success of graduates, across a wide range of development activities. Education experts state that employment trends in the ASEAN Economic Community reveal the three most important employability factors are: the ability to communicate effectively in English, real world training or internship experience, and IT knowledge.
Gilles Mahe, the CEO of Stamford International University, Thailand, revealed “Stamford works under a framework aimed at improving student experience. Our employability and experience-based strategies attempt to enhance the student activities, resulting in increased graduate employment. As Thailand is part of the Asean Economic Community, Stamford has an innovative strategy to increase graduate numbers and abilities to improve education quality and prepare students for the realities of work in a changing international environment. This is achieved with a balanced mix of theoretical and practical training. In addition, we aim to develop student skills both throughout the course and through external work such as Industry projects and International Hotel Management internships. This allows students to gain real world experience with leading International companies both in Thailand and abroad, as well as providing career service support. This places students in a stronger position to compete for graduate roles. It means students have great opportunities to not only meet top employers, but to also know how to prepare and secure employment with them. Our students have spent most of their time in a truly culturally diverse environment, which allows them to have an international mindset. Consequently, they are willing to adapt and learn new things, to be flexible and patient”.
Phassanai Doyle, Assistant President for Human Resources and Acting Head of Student Life said, “Stamford’s ultimate purpose is to maximize student employability. We provide numerous pioneering partnership projects between the university and leading companies to achieve our mission. We collaborate with well-known companies to develop exclusive projects, which include: internships, co-branded programs, Industry projects, corporate training, international partnerships and collaboration programs. These provide students with work-based experiences that earn them credit in their studies and prepare them for real world work environments before stepping out into the professional world. A Stamford survey found that employers and international companies are looking for a global university that is able to provide them with employees who possess attributes such as: an International mindset, good English communication skills, the flexibility to adapt to new environments and willingness to learn new things, the confidence and ability to solve complex problems, and the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
Stamford graduate employment figures for 2014 have shown a marked increase in employer satisfaction compared with 2013. It is a positive sign showing that our student employability strategies really do successfully match employer requirements. Stamford students are able to start their career earlier than their peers due to the specially designed courses that balance academic needs with real world experience. Our students are fully prepared for their chosen profession the moment they graduate. Practical skills are first developed in the classroom with courses taught by industry experts, along with visiting leaders of industry sharing real-world experiences. Students then gain real-world experience through a combination of Stamford’s unique programs and events.