A total of 333 Chinese students in Scotland have successfully
applied for a talent-seeking scheme to work in the region for two
years after graduation without requiring a work permit.
Latest figures show that 1,176 international students have taken
advantage of the "Fresh Talent Working in Scotland Scheme" that was
launched last June by the Scottish Executive and Home Office,
revealed the Scottish Government in Beijing on Saturday.
To date, there have been no failed applications.
The scheme, which enables non-EU students who graduated with a
Higher National Diploma from a Scottish college to stay for two
years without work permits, aims to attract talented youngsters to
live and work in Scotland, the only country within the UK whose
population is projected to decline.
Steven Szymoszowskyj, a Fresh Talent Policy development officer
with the Scottish government, said they would further promote the
scheme this year, especially to students from China. Szymoszowskyj
was in Beijing at the weekend attending the 11th China
International Education Exhibition Tour.
He said the scheme helps solve the biggest difficulty for
international students who want to stay in Scotland to find jobs
with work permits within a very limited period of time.
Applicants may either leave the country at the end of the period
or switch to one of the specified managed migration schemes.
However, figures show that only 1,176 of an estimated 6,000
eligible students have so far applied. And the number of Chinese
applicants was not big compared to the total population of Chinese
graduates in Scotland.
"Considering the scheme is in its first year, we're satisfied
with the turnout, and are optimistic the number of applicants will
increase," Szymoszowskyj said.
About 4,000 Chinese students are in Scottish colleges and the
number continues to rise, according to the Scottish government.
Applicants are required to prove only that they are non-EU
students and graduates from Scottish colleges. But the scheme does
not guarantee employment, so applicants will need to compete
against other students, including those from Scotland and other
parts of the UK.
Szymoszowskyi said they are trying to get close contacts with
successful applicants, but so far they are not clear how many and
in which specific fields Chinese graduates have been employed.
The two-day education exhibition, which ended yesterday in
Beijing, attracted about 350 colleges from 27 countries. Xi'an,
provincial capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, will be
its next stop.
(China Daily February 20, 2006)
