CKGSB Partners on China Fellowship Program Seeing 60 Leading Young Professionals Graduate

[Beijing, December 19^th 2019] As education models increasingly shift from traditional academic settings to a model of lifelong learning, individuals are increasingly taking a proactive approach to their own up-skilling and professional development. Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB) supported the British Chamber of Commerce in China this year on the second iteration of the Young Professionals Development Program (YPDP), seeing 60 young talents take part in interactive workshops led by mentors from CKGSB, Rolls-Royce, KPMG, Brunswick and Venture Education. Topics covered over the three-month program included self-management, leadership, communication, strategic thinking and entrepreneurship to equip fellows with a well-rounded skill-set, critical to their professional and personal development. The program concluded on Tuesday 17^th December evening at a Graduation Ceremony at the Rosewood Hotel in Beijing.

2019 YPDP cohort at their Graduation Ceremony

As a supporting partner on the program this year, CKGSB hosted the self-management workshop with the school’s Assistant Dean May Xia and the Director of Global Marketing and Communications Ira Zaka leading as mentors. CKGSB also hosted the program’s workshops at the school’s Beijing campus, enrolled fellows in to the program, alongside providing support on program.

“The self-management workshop offered me a great opportunity not only to learn from excellent industry leaders like Ira and May, but also to gain valuable insights from 60 young professionals that represent a wide range of industries,” said Daisy Du, China Marketing Manager at the University of Dundee

CKGSB Assistant Dean May Xia hosting a workshop at the school’s Beijing campus

“It’s been such a wonderful experience joining the YPDP. It is a great platform where you meet brilliant young professionals and mentors with great vision and passion,” said 2019 YPDP fellow Camellia Gao, Community Programme Manager at Dulwich College Beijing

YPDP cohort engaging in a group interactive activity during a workshop

A post-programme survey of the YPDP revealed that over 80% of participants felt more confident about managing their professional development, leading a team and thinking strategically in business; while over 90% felt more confident about communicating in a crisis and being entrepreneurial as a result of having taken part in the program. The success of the programme comes as a growing number of young people have begun to see lifelong learning and regular professional up-skilling as a new normal and critical to their development.

Mentors and participants engaging in discussions during their workshop

“There’s not much clear guidance for young people on how to build a career in China. That’s why the YPDP is so important because we can learn about a whole range of opportunities,” said 2019 YPDP fellow Imogen Page-Jarrett, Research Analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit.

CKGSB places a strong focus on developing next-generation disruptors and professionals, one way the school does so is through its MBA program– designed to develop entrepreneurial and innovative thinking whilst learning the core business and management fundamentals. The program adopts an ‘action learning’ approach to provide students with the opportunity to apply learning beyond the classroom and into real-life situations.  The program also offers multiple scholarships such as the Young Professional Scholarship, Philanthropy Scholarship and Belt and Road Scholarship, to ensure individuals of exceptional ability and talent are also equally equipped with the full range of opportunities and training.

With mid-career education critical in the growing competitive professional landscape and an increasing number of people looking to engage in a broad range of training and up-skilling, the popularity of courses such as the YPDP can only be expected to grow.

Group discussions with YPDP fellows in class