Find out about the Prime Ministers Global Fellowship Programme (PMGF)

Be inspired by Mark Cullen and Charlotte Jackson’s account’s of a trip of a lifetime on the Prime Ministers Global Fellowship Programme (PMGF).  The PMGF provided 100 young people with the opportunity to experience first hand the major new countries of the global economy; China, India, and Brazil.

Mark and Charlotte have given EnterpriseUpfront a truly inspirational and motivational account of their PMGF experience which is sure to leave you asking yourself “who do I know that could apply for the forthcoming 2009 fellowship?”

Global Fellow - Mark Cullen writes:
The 100 fellows, representing a truly multi-cultural and multi-ethnic Britain, were immediately plunged into a 6 week tailor-made programme of three parts:

• Cultural and linguistic immersion
• Working on a research project in collaboration with their peers in a local school
• Time as a guest of a global company, investigating how international business and its social responsibilities impact on local communities.

Quickly immersed into the Chinese life and language, we had the benefit of tai chi and Mandarin lessons every morning for two weeks.  It is personally rewarding to try to get to grips with such a complex language and certainly encourages perseverance!  Haggling for different goods was great fun but also increases self-confidence.  The afternoons were focused on cultural learning, with activities such as a traditional tea ceremony, Kung Fu and calligraphy.  Taking part in a city hunt, where groups visited different areas before giving presentations on chosen topics fostered creativity and communication skills.

The following two weeks were spent at the Sino-British College, where we worked on a research project with young Chinese people.  Our multi-cultural group decided to focus on the aspirations and opportunities of young people in China as our topic, with some comparison to the UK.  The project required careful time management and provided an opportunity to; work as a team generating ideas, collate information and solve problems using a variety of research techniques and present our project.  Whilst at the College we were faced with the challenge of helping students with English in the role of language assistants. 

For the final part of the programme we visited global companies gaining an insight into their operations and business principles.  As guest at HSBC Bank China I saw their strong commitment to corporate social responsibility, as they support extensive educational, environmental and charitable projects.  Learning more about China’s sustained rapid economic growth furthered my understanding of the trials and opportunities this offers to companies and individuals.  Whilst at the bank we visited many different departments, seeing the challenges and opportunities in rural banking, as well as the stringent regulations which banks need to operate in.  It was a privilege to spend time at HSBC, as well as to meet Richard Yorke, HSBC China’s CEO, who kindly gave up his valuable time to listen to our questions and offer us advice.

The PMGF increased my awareness of the issues surrounding globalisation and the challenges of living in an interdependent world, of needing to look outwards as well as inwards.

I look forward to sharing my experiences with the Prime Minister during Enterprise Week, just as the applications for the 2009 fellowship open. 

If you know someone leaving school or taking a gap year, I would urge you to promote the fellowship to them; it might just change their life.