GGS Quarterly 2 / 13

STUDENTSjust from studying a programme at a World Top 100 university- they also gain from the fantastic support of the GGSstaff who act as their „first port of call“. GGS also provides arange of additional learning opportunities for the students includingnetworking events with alumni and local managers,company visits, and a two-week international study tour everyyear to major economies such as China, India, Brazil, andthe USA.Do you notice differences between the GGS students andthose in Leeds?The GGS students achieve consistently higher grades thantheir Leeds-based counterparts. Students undergo a rigorousselection process and so we are sure that when they enterthe programme they are intellectually capable of succeeding.But it is not just about intellect. We find the GGS studentstend to be more mature and more focused on their leaningthan many of the Leeds-based students. This may be due tothe fact that the Leeds-based MSc is a full-time programmeand students tend to „relax“ into student life whereas theGGS students study part-time and bring to the classroom thegood habits of the workplace. It may also be because theGGS students can apply what they are learning back into thework environment immediately and can appreciate more readilythe value of what is being learned.What developments have you observed at GGS in recent years?Many! GGS is developing fast. The new campus is themost visible indicator of progress but the leaders are veryambitious and are determined to aim high in terms of thepartnerships they forge with international universities andthe learning experience they provide for their students. Theinternational study tours are one example of the meticulousattention to detail and the high standards evidenced in everythingthey do. And the „front line“ staff that engage with thestudents on a daily basis are world-class. I won‘t embarrassanyone by giving names away - but if our GGS colleaguesever get bored of Germany we‘d employ them at Leedsstraight away!We know our MSc students gain tremendous personal benefitsfrom undertaking the programme. We see them growin knowledge and skill month by month. And they graduatewith excellent grades and inform us of how much they haveenjoyed the programme and how proud they are to be graduatesof the University of Leeds. So we can assure their employersthat we are powerfully „up-skilling“ their staff. Thismeans that employers are gaining more confident and capableprofessionals and managers who can see strategic issuesmore clearly and are better able to work with colleaguesfrom across the business due to the broad coverage of theMSc syllabus. The students also become more comfortableworking in different cultures having studied in English withUK staff and visited Leeds and possibly undertaken an internationalstudy tour. For a firm dealing internationally this is animportant benefit. Our students come from top companies- such as IBM, VW, Bosch, Siemens, and Audi. So studentsmix with classmates from different firms and different sectors- learning how things are done elsewhere and bringingthe lessons back to the company. They are taught by leadingprofessors who, in turn, have their own networks of expertiseboth back at Leeds and internationally. This expertise isavailable to the students and to the companies via the MScassignments and masters thesis. So there is the opportunityto acces new ideas and consultancy via this route. So thecompany benefits from getting an energised, better educatedemployee and, via them, access to faculty at one of theleading universities in the world.Infoveranstaltung:The Leeds MSc Schnuppersession mit Prof. Katsikeasam Donnerstag, 11. Juli 2013, 17:00 - 19:00 UhrInfos unter: www.ggs.de/studium/msc18Why should companies support their employees in pursuingthe Leeds MSc at GGS? How does the company benefit directly?A company is the sum of its people. If its people arestrong, the company is strong. So our focus is on developingour students (your staff) so that they know more aboutbusiness, so that they can apply what they know, and so thatthey can reflect on who they are - their strengths and weaknesses- and know how to learn for their future growth.