For the first time in more than ten years, Indian students now make up the biggest group of international students.
Approximately 1.33 million Indian students are studying abroad, while more than 1 million Chinese students make up the second-largest group. This is an excellent moment to turn a worldwide education into worthwhile employment since Indians have never had more global influence.
These pupils are following in the footsteps of exceptional and well-traveled individuals. India and the United Kingdom have an unmatched history that includes Gandhi, Nehru, Ambedkar, Sorabji, Tagore, Patel, and Naidu. Additionally, Indian overseas students have succeeded internationally in the contemporary era.
The Indian Nobel laureate Sir Venki Ramakrishnan commanded the Royal Society in London, the world’s leading scientific organization, until recently. In a life-saving cooperation driven by trust and a strong educational partnership, the COVID-19 vaccine, which was created in an international lab in Oxford, was produced in India.
For a long time, exceptional Indian students have also been drawn to the US. With the headquarters of 39 Fortune 100 companies and dozens of startups, Silicon Valley is renowned for being the global center of technology thanks to Indian students and alumni.
Although Google, Facebook, and Apple are well-known worldwide companies, 25% of their technical staff are Indian. One such employee is Parag Agrawal, who came to the United States as an international student studying computer science in 2005 and is now the former CEO of Elon Musk’s X.
Now that Indian corporations, like the powerful Tata, have a worldwide presence and significant influence, there is a great need for students who are culturally sensitive, have a strong command of the English language, are extremely intelligent, and have shown the self-discipline necessary to get prestigious degrees.
Students studying computer science are in especially high demand due to the 21st century’s thirst for digitalization and AI adoption. In addition to imparting information, reputable colleges provide students direct access to employers and job experience, which is increasingly a requirement for admission to the top corporations in the world.
The attributes that make foreign graduates internationally employable go beyond a degree.
It is evident that the majority of Indian families and students see funding an overseas higher education as a commitment to a prosperous future. The topic of how a degree prepares a young person for employment was brought up often during the recent India-UK Higher Education conference, which was attended by government officials and university leaders from both nations and took place in London.
The possibility of obtaining worthwhile job experience after graduation “is the single most important determinant…in deciding where to study,” according to the chair of the National Indian Students and Alumni Union.
The importance of being employable has also received a lot of attention. The professional world requires that people acquire a wide variety of useful abilities, which goes beyond just earning a degree.
Numerous institutions in India and elsewhere value their connections to business and the ways that commercial innovation influences course development. Many degrees include “years in industry” and scheduled work experience periods.
Employers in both global corporations and academic institutions understand that many attributes that go beyond a degree are just as crucial in the job.
Underpinned by drive and resilience, they include the capacity to deliver information with confidence, manage foreign contacts with competence and empathy, and articulate oneself well in a common language (often English). Graduates stand to earn a significant advantage when they exhibit these attributes.
Some people develop their cultural competency through specialized courses like the pathway programs, foundation years, and international year ones. These courses help bridge educational systems, fill in language skills gaps, and boost confidence by allowing students to live, learn, and interact with friends and peers in a global setting on a daily basis.
Academic English proficiency is especially crucial since students’ learning and that of others around them are both impacted when they lack it. For many overseas students, some kind of bridging is worthwhile in order to guarantee the best learning trajectory at university.
Bridging can help students get into the right rhythm to succeed by understanding how to best structure their learning and acquiring essential techniques and discipline. This is one of the most exciting aspects of British education: it is very different from that practiced in home countries.
The knowledge obtained during regular study is then multiplied many times over when the recent graduate applies all they have learned to the workplace by either traveling to a third nation to test their degree or utilizing a post-study visa to get employment.
It is encouraging to see the advantages of a comprehensive global education experience. There are many obstacles for a young Indian who leaves home to pursue a great career and wider horizons, but employers rightfully value the skills gained from international education and the variety of experience that follows, as well as the businesses they start.
An intense period of intercultural development, fluency in English in a variety of contexts, and the real-time confidence in problem-solving that characterizes all those who have stepped out of their comfort zone and succeeded are just a few of the qualities that a successful international graduate can claim on their resume in addition to the important knowledge that was taught in a course and recognized by a prestigious degree. What a benefit to any business worldwide!
Global education leaders are still dedicated to giving as many young Indians as possible better access to the transformative advantages of studying abroad. The development of international education is clear in a multipolar world that is evolving quickly.
There is no longer a one-way educational pathway connecting India with well-known study abroad locations like the USA or the UK. Universities in new nations are expanding, and possibilities to study in several parts of the globe are creating more and more opportunities for both individual and global development.
Companies and nations have never needed more young graduates who can confidently navigate a changing globe in an era when miscommunication and broken communities come at a heavy cost.
Pupils should be wary of oversimplified statements on job opportunities. Those claiming that degrees are no longer important in today’s environment or suggesting that a degree is a guarantee of employment are not providing correct advice. Initial employment is undoubtedly crucial and should be respected, but one’s career trajectory and capacity to maintain professional advancement throughout time show to be more essential in the long run.
It is quite difficult to top the mix of highly qualified and competent people supported by strong networking and solid degrees. Students who are ready to study abroad have motivation and a willingness to take measured risks. When combined with the time, money, and discipline needed to succeed, this provides for a promising start to their careers.
