Jamie Jordon
One thing you may not know about UWE Bristol is their wide range of partners – both UK-based and international. One thing we are working on at The Students’ Union is to work on our representation at partners, as a lot are technically students we represent.
One thing you may not know about UWE Bristol is their wide range of partners – both UK-based and international. One thing we are working on at The Students’ Union is to work on our representation at partners, as a lot are technically students we represent. I was lucky enough to be invited to Hong Kong to visit students at one of our partners, SHAPE (School for Higher and Professional Education).
HKDI Campus
I attended the graduation ceremony whilst there, which was really nice to celebrate the success of our students. It was lovely to see how happy their family members were on the day of celebration. It was really insightful to hear of some of the work our students have been doing and some of the research that is being developed. There’s been some amazing research been done around robotics and how this can help children with autism to those with Alzheimer’s. One of the robots even spoke at the ceremony!
At the Graduation Ceremony with the robots
I had the opportunity to meet students at the HKDI Campus. I talked to them about what it’s like to be a student in Bristol and showed them what The Students’ Union gets up to. I was invited to hold a feedback session where I was able to collect what they liked about their course and what can be improved. By chance, it was also their Students’ Union’s election week whilst I was there, so I had the chance to meet both teams running and find out what was important to them. Students’ Unions aren’t as developed overseas as they are in the UK – so they run as teams of volunteers, unlike our own elections. Looking to the future, it will be a great opportunity for us to share best practice with them and help develop their Students’ Union.
Students' Union election week
I also had the chance to meet with some UWE Bristol Alumni, where we discussed how both the University and Students’ Union can help to build a strong Alumni Network in Hong Kong. It was great to share some ideas and where to go as initial steps.
Dinner with UWE Bristol Alumni
One project we have been discussing with this partnership is teaching opportunities in Hong Kong for UWE Bristol graduates. We have discussed the chance for graduates to teach out in Hong Kong, whether this is in a specialist area or in general to help learning of English. This could be a really exciting opportunity!
View of Hong Kong from Victoria Peak
We are looking forward to working towards improving our presence and representation as The Students’ Union at our partners.
If you are interested in teaching English in Hong Kong to primary, secondary and post-secondary levels, there will be a Q&A session on Thursday 23 February 16:00-17:00, 2Q48