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East-West international education readies graduates for the future of work
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Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University’s south campus in Suzhou. XJTLU’s International Business School Suzhou (IBSS) is the curved building on the right.
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n a world reshaped by globalization and disruptive technologies, university students must prepare for workplace challenges new to their generation. Their future colleagues may reside around the world and use different cultural and workplace practices; subject-matter knowledge may quickly become outdated.
However, there are ways students can boost their future readiness. Gaining an international education is one. For example, research from the Institute of International Education (IEE) indicates that studying abroad significantly develops job skills that experts have identified as critical to 21st century work. These “soft” skills include not only language and intercultural skills, but also communication, problem-solving, flexibility and adaptability, interpersonal skills and tolerance for ambiguity.
Furthermore, students’ choice of university can amplify these study abroad impacts. For example, the teaching methodology of Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), an international university in China, emphasizes preparing students for the challenges they will meet in the workplace.
According to XJTLU’s executive president, Professor Youmin Xi, this preparation is crucial for today’s university students.
“On the brink of a new era, people tend to react differently; some cheer while others panic. The only thing that is certain about the future is that it will be complex, volatile, uncertain and ambiguous,” he said.
At XJTLU, academic staff from around the world teach all degree modules in English. Students learn how to think critically, take the initiative to find answers to problems, research and communicate effectively. They enhance their academic learning with hands-on activities both in and outside of class, like the University’s signature summer undergraduate research program. XJTLU specializes in graduating global citizens who can adapt to new technologies and navigate an increasingly complex world and uncertain future.
“XJTLU has always been committed to meeting the needs of the future, combining the wisdom of East and West to explore better models of education, striving to advocate critical thinking and research-led learning and focusing on the growth of students, with an interest-driven, student-centred learning approach,” Professor Xi explained.
Dual undergraduate degrees
From its founding in 2006, XJTLU has leveraged the essence of its parent universities, the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom and Xi’an Jiaotong University in China. It has combined the academic rigor encouraged by the East with the creativity and critical thinking emphasized in the West. XJTLU provides bachelor’s program graduates with two degrees – one from the University of Liverpool and the other an XJTLU degree recognized by the Chinese Ministry of Education.
According to Professor Eddy Fang, deputy dean of XJTLU’s International Business School Suzhou, these dual degrees can help students to future-proof themselves.
“Our offering two bachelor’s degrees – one from a distinguished British university and the other from a rising Chinese university – is a way to address the uncertainty of the future,” he said. “No one can tell us what the world will be like in 20 years, whether it will be Eastern-centric or Western-centric. Our educational model and dual degrees are a safe bet. They allow students to have their CV recognized in the two main paths the world might take in the future.”
World-class reputation
Alumna Jesslyn Febriani, who works at Big Four accounting firm PwC in Jakarta, said she was initially attracted to XJTLU because both its parent universities are well-recognized for their quality. The University of Liverpool is a member of the Russell Group of leading UK universities; Xi’an Jiaotong University is consistently ranked among the top 15 universities in China.
But XJTLU’s own leading reputation among international universities in China, along with the fact its degree programs are taught fully in English, sealed her decision to enrol there.
While at XJTLU, she not only prepared herself for a career in economics and finance, but she also improved her Mandarin skills and job skills needed to succeed in an international company.
“Pursuing a degree at an international university in China allowed me to meet a diverse group of people, including Chinese students, which helped me advance my Chinese language,” she said. “I learned very useful hard and soft skills at the university, including report-writing, presentation, financial modelling, teamwork and research skills, which I am applying in my workplace.
“My current project-based job requires me to work with diverse groups of people in every project, and I have been well-prepared for it,” she added. “I had experience working in a diverse team at the university, so I know what to expect and how to work efficiently.”
Preparing for the future
XJTLU consults business and industrial leaders to understand what they look for when they hire, Professor Fang said. The university then uses this knowledge to intentionally strengthen skills students can use now and for the rest of their lives.
“At IBSS, we constantly ask human resources managers, in China and internationally, what they want in candidates. If you study economics, you have to know the theories and basic knowledge about economics, that is a given, but we’ve learned that the difference between an average career and an amazing career comes from soft skills,” explained Professor Fang.
“Instead of employment statistics, we focus on employability,” he said. “It’s uncommon to stick with one job for a lifetime, so our graduates need the ability to successfully land not just the first job, but others throughout their career. We give students the soft skills they need to do that successfully, even 10 or 20 years after graduation.
“To develop those skills that boost employability, we set up workshops, seminars and training on topics like communication, negotiation and presentation,” Professor Fang explained.
“We help students understand themselves better, how they might react in different situations and where they might fit into teams. We also teach students how to communicate not only about their subjects but also about themselves. All these skills will help them work with other people better. They will be able to use them years after they have left us.”
Tremendous growth
Today, XJTLU has more than 23,000 students and is the largest Sino-foreign university. Professor Fang credits the university’s growth to its focus on developing new methods of education.
“XJTLU has developed tremendously since its founding 17 years ago,” he said. “It’s quite clear now that we are not merely a connecting dot between East and West.”
“If you go to most British universities, you will have a 100 percent British experience. If you go to most Chinese universities, you will have a 100 percent Chinese experience. At XJTLU, we offer a third type of experience, a blend of the elements that is more than the sum of its parts – something unique,” he explained.
“We are seen as a pioneer. We have developed our own programs, our own modules. We are able to adapt our curriculum and student experience to be relevant to the markets we are serving and to the students who join us. I think that is part of the reason we’ve been so successful.”
XJTLU will hold a webinar about the university’s admission policy and scholarship opportunities on June 7, 2023 from 4-5 p.m. China time. For information on the webinar, please email international@xjtlu.edu.cn.
For more information about XJTLU, please visit www.xjtlu.edu.cn/en.
