Embracing global learning opportunities can equip students with traits favoured by employers
International education provides invaluable opportunities for personal growth, international exposure, and career advancement, according to SI Global director David Picton.
While several renowned United Kingdom (UK) universities have local campuses that provide quality education here, studying abroad offers many distinct benefits.
These, he said, range from gaining access to a wealth of academic resources to fully immersing oneself in a new cultural environment.
“Tertiary education is not just about the traditional classroom experience — it’s also about a life-changing opportunity for students to broaden their perspectives through international exposure,” he said, adding that varsities are increasingly focusing on career outcomes for students.
“Institutions understand that students investing in their education expect to yield tangible returns in terms of employability,” he said.
Gateway to more
Potential students need to consider whether their study destination can truly help broaden their horizons and offer them a global network of connections that will build their future career, International Management Institute (IMI) Switzerland international marketing manager Varushka Lo Gioco advised.
“An international education today must help you gain the global work experience that you deserve,” she said, adding that nowadays, employers look for candidates who have experienced life in different countries and can communicate in multiple languages.
Additionally, Lo Gioco said students should consider countries that are not conventionally popular among international students.
“With many flocking to ‘hot’ destinations like the United States, opportunities available may be limited.
“On top of that, some governments are tightening international student intakes in popular student destinations,” she said, suggesting students consider Switzerland to continue their tertiary journey.
Switzerland, she said, is welcoming towards international students who, apart from the world-class education, are also attracted to how easily they can travel to other European countries.
Lo Gioco said neighbouring countries like Italy, Germany and France are only two hours away by train.
The country’s higher education system is known especially for its business and finance programmes with information technology (IT) and artificial intelligence (AI) booming in the past couple of years.
She said the education system in Switzerland is designed to groom talents from a young age. One way this is done is by providing well-paying internship salaries.
IMI Switzerland Bachelor’s degree students, she added, undergo six months of classes followed by six months of internships. This is done for the entire three-year study period.
“All in all, you are studying for 1.5 years and you are working for 1.5 years, meaning you get the best of theoretical and practical learning,” she said.
Lo Gioco also said the institute has partnerships with Malaysian higher education institutions including City University, SEGi University and University of Wollongong Malaysia.
“This allows Malaysian students to transfer to IMI for one or two years of their study,” she said.
Plus points
School leavers thinking about studying abroad should consider an institution’s strengths before making their choices.
This is especially if they have their eyes set on a particular field of study or career.
Take Germany for example, a country known for its engineering programmes and industries, especially in the Baden-Württemberg state.
Baden-Württemberg International talent and university services manager Alexandra Ahmed said the country opens its doors to international students with about half of the student population in Baden-Württemberg hailing from other countries.
“We’re very happy about international students and young scientists coming in. We hope they are going to stay, work and do research in our state,” she said.
Compared to other countries, Ahmed said studying in Germany is very affordable with tuition fees ranging from zero to €1,500 (RM6,937) per semester.
Baden-Württemberg is located in southwest Germany and is home to over 70 higher education institutions and large corporations like Mercedes-Benz, Bosch and Porsche.
These corporations established the Württemberg Cooperative State University in the 1970s to educate and train students for workforce faster than institutions that offered conventional degrees.
“This model is quite unique as the student is actually an employee of the company and is receiving a salary.
“He or she will be enrolled in an academic institution and undergo three months of learning theory and three months of working life in alternating circles.
“At the end of three years, undergraduates will still write their thesis but this model allows them to be fully immersed in the workforce,” she said, adding that the country places a lot of emphasis on higher education with students being able to graduate with their PhD in less than 10 years after they become an undergraduate.
“We practice a three-cycle system with three years for the Bachelor’s degree, one and a half years for a master’s degree and three years for a PhD,” said Ahmed.
Global outlook
Developing a global perspective is a key reason students choose to go overseas.
This is especially so when they choose countries that have an ethnically diverse population such as Canada, said University of Alberta international recruitment and relations coordinator (Southeast Asia) Michaela Kleinsasser.
“Canada is a popular choice.
“The city of Edmonton, for example, is located in the west of the country and has an immigrant population of about 30%.
“Edmonton is one of the most affordable cities in Canada. It is a peaceful, quiet place to be.
“The campus community there is just as rich with the University of Alberta, located in the city, being home to 44,000 students from over 150 countries,” she said, adding that the academic staff is just as diverse, having come from different corners of the world.
Canada, she said, encourages diversity and a global education.
While it has been reported that Canada has imposed a cap on the number of international students allowed into the country, the number differs from province to province, said Kleinsasser.
“Thankfully, the province of Alberta is open and welcoming to international students and all our programmes qualify for a postgraduate work permit upon graduation,” she said, adding that postgraduate students can stay on in the country for up to three years.
All students can also work while pursuing their undergraduate degree where they can work part-time for up to 24 hours a week.
There are also co-operative programmes at universities which means students get paid work experience with the institution’s industry partners.
“It is paid work experience which is facilitated by the university,” she said, adding that the institutions also provide support, including writing resumes, training students in interview skills and finding them work.
Kleinsasser said the university also provides additional learning opportunities around the globe.
“These can be for one week or up to six months long,” she said, adding that this allows students to learn and experience other cultures.
Career opportunities
“Being a chartered secretary or governance professional opens doors to companies all over the world and not just in Malaysia. Generally, all companies worldwide need a company secretary but chartered secretaries are those who can advise the board on various matters such as compliance, law and finance regulations. Malaysian Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (MAICSA) members can operate in Malaysia and nine other countries - Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Zimbabwe, South Africa, China, Hong Kong and Singapore.”
– MAICSA members, students and education department senior officer Izurin Mohad Nizam
“The logistics and transportation sector offers a lot of career opportunities with multi-trillion-dollar companies in this business. Even within Selangor, the Shah Alam International Logistics Hub aims to offer 5,000 jobs by 2028. This was also one of the few industries allowed to operate fully during the Covid-19 pandemic when the rest of the world was required to stay home. Diploma holders are already able to earn a high income with some of them earning around RM4,000 as a starting salary.”
– Netherlands Maritime University College marketing manager Khairul Ikhwan Abdul Rahim
*All the interviewees were speakers or exhibitors at the Star Education Fair 2025 held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on Feb 15 and 16.
