S'pore fellowship plan gets state funding

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Monday, 24 May 2010

The government is to fund a fellowship programme allowing Irish graduates to study and work in Singapore... The Singapore programme is known as the Farmleigh Fellowship Programme.

ThePost.ie

The government is to fund a fellowship programme allowing Irish graduates to study and work in Singapore, writes Niamh Connolly.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin will announce details of the scheme during a visit to China and Hong Kong this week. Martin will visit five cities during the five-day visit, which is designed to help boost trade between Ireland and China.

In Hong Kong and Shenzhen, Martin is to meet with companies interested in investing in Europe and Irish firms with interests in Asia. He will also visit the World Expo in Shanghai, where he will hold talks with members of the Global Irish Network, which was established following the Global Irish Forum at Farmleigh last September.

The Singapore programme, known as the Farmleigh Fellowship Programme, is being based on an internship scheme proposed at the Farmleigh event.

It will be operated by University College Cork and backed by Irish businesspeople in Singapore.

A more extensive overseas graduate programme, which will place Irish students in companies around the world, is at the planning stage. Martin will also visit the Beijing Foreign Studies University to deliver a speech highlighting educational links.

‘‘China is key if Ireland is to continue to develop its Asian strategy," said Martin. ‘‘It was identified at Farmleigh as a region where there was further business opportunities for Irish business.

‘‘There are now 109 Irish firms with a presence in the Chinese market, an increase of more than 100 per cent in five years. We must examine how we can build on that."

http://www.sbpost.ie/news/ireland/singapore-fellowship-plan-gets-state-funding-49427.html

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