2016 Awards Ceremonies were hosted by the Sino-British College (SBC), University of Shanghai for Science and Technology (USST) on 30th and 31st July to celebrate the academic and social achievements made by graduates. Over 200 graduating students who have studied 4+0 and 2+1+1 programmes in Business and Engineering at SBC attended the events together with their families and friends.
The celebrations marked the sixth cohort of SBC/USST students completing full UK bachelor’s degrees in Shanghai in Industrial Electronics and Control and Manufacturing Systems Engineering offered by Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and Events Management offered by the University of Huddersfield. It also marked the second cohort of SBC/USST students completing the University of Sheffield Business Management degree at SBC. Eligible students also had their USST degrees conferred during these ceremonies.
Senior representatives from SBC/USST and the UK partner universities who attended the celebrations included Professor Tian Weifeng, Vice-President of USST, Professor Peter Byers, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education) of LJMU, Professor Tim Thornton, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Huddersfield, Joanne Purves, Vice-President (International) of The University of Sheffield, Professor John Wilson, Principal and CEO of SBC, Professor Linda Liu, Vice Dean of SBC, and Liu Bin, Secretary of Joint General Party Branch, Fuxing Campus of USST.
Members of the academic teams from SBC and the partner universities were also invited to join the academic procession and shared the joy of graduation of their own students.
Professor John Wilson, Principal and CEO said in his speech: “This is a very auspicious year in which to graduate as this year USST and SBC celebrate their 110th and 10th anniversaries respectively. SBC’s achievements will be celebrated at events in Shanghai and the UK in a few months time.”
Looking into the future, Professor Wilson said to all the graduates in the audience: “We know that the world is a competitive place and we cannot stand still. So, we need to look ahead, to build on our past success and set ambitious goals, and in doing so, I want to stress that each of you is not simply part of our proud past but you are also part of our future.”
Academically Excellent and Socially Aware
As a leading international university college and Joint Venture institution, SBC is committed to preparing students in every way for a successful career and life after graduation. Providing top-quality international education, cross-cultural awareness and training in lifelong learning are essential to the success of SBC and the success of graduates.
Take You Jiamin (Mary), who graduated with a First Class honours degree in Events Management for example. Instead of continuing to work for Walt Disney (China) following her role as intern at the department of Strategy and Business Development, Mary decided to study for her Master’s degree in Strategic Marketing at Imperial College London. In her speech at the Graduation Ceremony, she said: “For me, my biggest achievement in my college life is that I’ve gradually realised what is important in my life, what truly interests me and what role I will play in the future workplace.”
In addition to degree study, students at SBC have been taking an active role in charitable causes by organising and fundraising through close collaboration with various companies and non-profit organisations. They have volunteered in a wide range of events and activities both on and off campus, most recently at Her Majesty The Queen’s 90th Birthday held by the British Consulate-General in Shanghai in June 2016 with over 700 guests and participants. A group of 20 SBC student volunteers were invited to provide on-site support for such a major event due to their high level of English and experience in events voluntary work.
Strong Employability Skills
SBC takes seriously its responsibility for preparing students for the world of work or further study after graduation. Employment training through internships, voluntary work and professional support for job applications are some of the ways which reflect the SBC approach to education.
According to the latest statistics from the SBC Careers Service and Development Centre, so far 86% of the 2016 graduates have received offers either for jobs or for postgraduate study in world-class universities and this percentage will increase over the next few weeks. The 86% is divided into 39% who have been offered places for Master’s study in China or abroad and 47% who have been offered employment. Of those who have been offered Masters places, three-quarters have been accepted by highly ranked universities in the UK, including Imperial College London, University College London and University of Warwick. Some will also go on to study at leading universities in other countries such asthe John Hopkins University in the USA and Monash University in Australia. Of those who have gained employment, they have done so on the basis of outstanding academic achievements and many of them have been employed by Fortune 500 multinational companies, including Volkswagen, KPMG, Accenture and ThyssenKrupp AG.
