Six students from the School of Contemporary Chinese Studies at The University of Nottingham have become the first overseas interns to work with the China Resources (Holdings) Company Limited (CRC).
CRC is a long established Chinese central government owned enterprise which dates back to 1938. It owns 2,300 businesses in China, employing over 420,000 people.
A £38 billion turnover
CRC achieved a total turnover of more than £38 billion in 2013 and is ranked 187th of the Global 500 by Fortune in 2013.
The company has a number of subsidiary companies operating in seven major sectors, namely consumables (retail, brewery, food and drinks), power supply, real estate, cement, gas, medicine and finance.
The students will be working with a range of CRC companies, including Pacific Coffee, Shenzhen Bay Sports Centre, CR Cement, Kapok Hotel and CR Land. The internships will last until the end of August this year.
One of the interns, Jonas Short, is working at the ‘Spring Cocoon’ sports centre in Shenzhen, a newly built 30,000 seater-stadium on the border of Hong Kong.
A country which moves at incredible speed
Speaking about his experience at CRC, he said: “The internship has been excellent with lots of variety. Last week for instance, we were helping to organise a car exhibition for Honda, and then attending a news conference with Jackie Chan. There are performances coming up from big Asian stars such as Rain and G.E.M., and an NBA game between retired all-stars of the US and China the following week, so the work is very varied.
“Living in China is also a very intense experience. The first thing you notice is how the country moves at incredible speed. There’s a hustle and bustle that is very difficult to describe unless you’re out here.”
Professor Chris Rudd, Pro-Vice Chancellor for External Engagement of The University of Nottingham, added: “These interns represent the essence of what being a ‘Nottingham graduate’ means, they are smart, business ready, globally and culturally aware.
Invaluable experience
"China is becoming increasingly important in the world economy, and gaining experience of working with Chinese businesses is something that is highly valued by employers internationally. The knowledge and experience that these students gain will prove to be invaluable in their future careers.”
The University of Nottingham became China’s first Sino-foreign University when it was formed in 2004 as a result of a partnership between Zhejiang Wanli Education Group (WEG) and The University of Nottingham, with the support of the Ningbo Municipal Government and Zhejiang Provincial Government.
The first honorary Professor of the School of Contemporary Chinese Studies Professor Grace (Xuexian) Wu, who conducted a seven-year long research study on the history of China Resources Company, commented: “The benefits of this internship link with China Resources Company are multi-faceted. The students will learn a lot by taking an internship with this big national enterprise with a long history and the University will benefit from strengthening its links with CRC.
The first overseas interns
“This is the first time CRC has systematically received overseas interns. At the end of their internship, they will also be producing theses about the China Resources Company, which will lay the basis for future international research.”
The link with CRC was made by the University’s Asia Business Centre and the School of Contemporary Chinese Studies. The University of Nottingham has also established partnerships with a number of leading Chinese companies in sectors including aerospace and automotive, railway and pharmaceuticals and many other industries.
For more information about The University of Nottingham’s work with China, please contact the Asia Business Centre on AsiaBusiness@nottingham.ac.uk, or +44 (0)7780 491136.
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Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham has 43,000 students and is ‘the nearest Britain has to a truly global university, with campuses in China and Malaysia modelled on a headquarters that is among the most attractive in Britain’ (Times Good University Guide 2014). It is also the most popular university in the UK among graduate employers, one of the world’s greenest universities, and winner of the Times Higher Education Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Development’. It is ranked in the World’s Top 75 universities by the QS World University Rankings.
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