Jane has given EnterpriseUpfront a truly inspirational and motivational account of her PMGF experience which is sure to leave you asking yourself “who do I know that could apply for the forthcoming 2010 fellowship?”
Global Fellow – Jane Thomas writes:
As the world grows smaller the issue of globalization grows in
importance. Too often, however, globalization is portrayed as a negative
phenomenon; a threat to our national and individual interests.
For me, globalization, rather than being an abstract concept beyond my comprehension has, in fact, become something recognisable, something that I feel I am able to talk about with a degree of understanding. That’s because this summer I was one of 100 school leavers offered a place on the prestigious Prime Minister’s Global Fellowship.
The Prime Minister’s Global Fellowship is a programme set up by the Department for Schools, Families and Children offering 100 state-educated students in England the opportunity to spend 6 weeks of their summer in Brazil, India or China, observing globalization and its direct impacts on one of the world’s developing economies. The Fellowship was set up two years ago and is run by the British Council and the Talent and Enterprise Taskforce.
As one of the Fellows who went to India, I was based in New Delhi for 6 weeks. The programme was split into three sections; for the first two weeks I participated in a cultural and language immersion course, the following two weeks was spent staying with a host family and attending a local school and the final two weeks was spent as a guest of a global company, in my case with KPMG.
One of the most important aspects of the Fellowship was to observe the differences between the British and Indian education system, including the differences in attitudes towards education between British and Indian students. In India, where over 50% of the population live below the poverty line, education truly is the only escape from poverty. This is especially the case in a society which is still oppressed by the confines of the caste system. The right to education and the liberating effect that education entails is reflected in Indian students’ determination to study hard and gain a degree, and an MBA. As globalization opens the world to India, so the skills, aspirations and competitiveness of Indian students rise.
So where does the UK stand against our Indian counterparts? Today less than half of our workforce has progressed beyond A-levels. Almost 16% of 18 year olds are NEET. 1.8 million children live in workless households. Nevertheless, the UK has the largest creative sector in the EU- more than 2 million people make their living through the construction of images and symbols. Globalization is presenting a real challenge for the UK. However with challenge comes opportunity. If every event has a reason; every event its purpose and every challenge its lesson, then we should not try to defend ourselves from the challenge of globalization but instead embrace it as the teacher it is.
The deadline for submitting PMGF applications is 18 December 2009. For further information on the Prime Ministers Global Fellowship visit: www.global-fellowship.org