chat! issue 1

Staff News Roundup

Well-being at Work

18-21

Issue 1

You’re Having a Laugh!

22-23GUS News

08-13

re-launchedition

the

Intro

Contents

02 Global University Systems

contents

Tier 4 Status

New Campuses

Awards

Growth 10998

6

news 8

Meet: 12

events 14

well-being at work

16

Food

Exercise

Stress 191817

you’re having a laugh!

20

03

Contents

Global University Systems

As you should all know by now, we are very pleased to have our Tier 4 status re-instated from september, just in time for the beginning of new terms at many of our schools.

This autumn, we’re also very pleased to welcome a host of new colleagues, recent partnerships, and many courses that will be running for the first time.


Introduction

Aaron EtingenFounder and CEO of GUS

06

“Welcome to the new and improved Chat magazine. This is your bi-monthly staff newsletter to keep you up to date with GUS.

If you’re interested in writing reviews, want to start a column on a topic close to your heart, start an ‘Overheard at GUS’ page or anything else, this is your chance! Email [email protected] if you want to contribute.

This magazine is intended to help to consolidate our identity as GUS, providing visibility for all of our departments and creating a sense of inclusion for all of our various institutions. Staff will be able to see what has been happening in the organisation as a whole, and feel informed about international developments within the group.

In this issue, you’ll find company news from the last few months, a summary of recent references to GUS in the media, and tips on maintaining your health whilst in the office.

I hope you enjoy this newsletter”.


Introduction

07

tier 4 status

News | Tier 4 Status

As mentioned earlier in this newsletter, we are pleased to announce that the UK Home Office has lifted the temporary suspension of LSBF and FBT’s Tier 4 sponsor licences.

Both schools have now been reinstated on the sponsor register as a Highly Trusted Sponsor, which means that we can continue to recruit

and sponsor overseas students.

It also means that applications by students which were placed on hold have been processed and students that had returned home for the summer holidays were be able to freely travel to the United Kingdom to return to their studies.

If you have any questions, please address them to your line manager in the first instance. Any approaches from the media or requests for comment should be addressed to the PR & Communications team.

Thanks to everyone for your support!


newcamp-uses

GUS has acquired two new buildings for both staff and students in recent months.

The first is Sceptre Court in Tower Hamlets, minutes away from London’s financial district. With over 90,000 square feet of space, beautiful views over the Tower of London Park, and state-of-the-art facilities, it’s an ideal location. This

campus will also contribute to the local community by distributing 10 scholarships a year for local residents.

St Patrick’s International College have also moved into a new east London campus in Duncan House, Stratford. Students are already giving great feedback on the location and improved facilities.

Many of GUS’s staff and colleges have won or been nominated for prestigious awards this year.

LSBF and InterActive have made the shortlist for the National Business Awards 2014, nominated for the Inflexion International Growth Business of the Year Award, which recognizes the highest and most sustainable level of global expansion.

LSBF’s school in Singapore has also received multiple prizes this year, won by staff and students. This year, eighteen LSBF students made up a third of the

total ACCA prize winners in Singapore, achieving the top three places in the country. Abby Hong, an education consultant at the school, also won the ACCA staff prize for Outstanding Team Member.

At LCCA, one of their fashion students received the Black Entertainment, Film, Fashion, Television, and Arts (BEFFTA) Excellence Award for her clothes designs.

GUS has been nominated in three different categories for the Education Investor’s awards, with LFC E.L.I.T.E.S distinguishing itself with a nomination for

EducationInvestor’s New Kid award.

InterActive was also nominated for the Technological Infrastructure award, with Liverpool FC and LSBF in the running for winning Education Partnership of the Year.

One of LSBF’s ACCA lecturers, Hafeez Qazi, also won the Association of International Accountant’s Accountant of the Year award this year.

Well done to all who have won, and good luck to those nominated!

awards

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News | Growth

We’ve been expanding rapidly over the last few months, welcoming several brand new partners to the group.

growth

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Global University Systems11

News | Growth

These have included our first accredited university, University Canada West (UCW). Based in Vancouver, UCW specialises in degrees in business and communications at undergraduate and postgraduate level. This is a great step forward for GUS as a group, as UCW is our first member to have achieved university status.

Our other new additions to the group are:

• The Institute of Business and Technology College in Dublin (IBAT)

• Namibia Students’ Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF)

• Mod’Art International Paris

• The Sichuan Provincial Tourism School (SPTS)

• Alexander College, Cyprus

• Amirta International Institute of Hotel Management, India (AIIHM)

Our e-learning platform, Interactive, has recently gained three new iHub partners: Global Daigaku in Tokyo, EMOS in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and SAP in Panama City. It also partnered with the University of Wolverhampton, adding several new courses to the list of courses that students can study.

Meanwhile, the Canadian branch of The Language Gallery (TLG) in Toronto has welcomed Confederation College and Thompson Rivers University as university pathway partners. This means that after TLG Toronto students finish their courses, they can go on to take hundreds of new courses at either of these partner schools.

The group continues to grow and create new opportunities for our students and staff, so watch this space for more news!


Meet: Guy Gerlach

the new Managing Director of GUS in Brazil

GuyGerlach,

How long have you been with GUS, and what do you think so far?

I’ve been here at GUS for about a month; there’s been a huge learning curve!

I’m struck by the diversity that the company already has. It’s already a large group, though it’s relatively young. It has significant variety in forms of study and different levels of qualifications - and a very clear, very palpable appetite to grow and expand.


Meet: Guy Gerlach

What are you up to in Brazil?

We’re in the process of setting up a company in Brazil, because at the moment we don’t have one. I will be the Managing Director of that company when it is set up. The legal processes will take us a couple of months. Once it’s set up, we’ll be able to do all of the exciting things that we intend to do in Brazil.

We’re at the stage where anything could happen. It’s a huge market in not only a geographical sense, but also in the sense of opportunity. There are 200 million Brazilians, 53 million of them in K12 education – so that’s nearly a quarter of the entire population. And then obviously there are all of the different kinds of education: higher and further education, vocational degree

courses, post graduate, under graduate, private schools, public schools…

Everything is going on here in Brazil, and with the variety of products and schools we have got something for just about anyone.

Once I make that first crucial acquisition, we intend to very quickly start bringing over the brands that we have in the UK and other countries, and start building a new base here.

When did you move to Brazil?

I’ve lived in Brazil for many many years. I first came here in 1980, when I graduated, and I’ve lived in Brazil all of my adult life. I came back to the UK for five years from ‘88 to ’93, and I also spent four years with my wife (who is Brazilian) in Argentina

for four years, from ’98 to 2002. But apart from that, I’ve spent all my adult life in Brazil.

I had some typical culture shock when I first arrived, but over the years I’ve become very at home in Brazil and although there are things that still strike me as being different, I’m used to them and I take it in my stride.

What do you do for fun?

I’m not a great alternative pastime person to be honest! I wish I could say that I’m a great sportsman, but I’m not. I do walk around a lot at the moment, so I’m getting a lot of exercise.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learned?

Listen! It may sound flippant, but I’m being very very serious: listening has been

the most important skill I’ve developed in my professional life. It started when I was a teacher and I had to really listen to my students to help them. What I’ve learned is that professionally being successful at selling is about listening as well.

What are you proud of?

I’m proud of my family: I have two sons and a wife. We’re a bi-cultural family, in that all of us are as at home in the UK as we are here in Brazil.

We’re bilingual as well, which I think is a fantastic gift; I think anyone who is fluent in two languages is enjoying a fantastic asset.

I’m very proud of my work in education, and that’s why I’m excited to be able to bring the company to Brazil.


Events

The British Museum is hosting an exhibition on the Ming Dynasty, displaying spectacular objects including porcelain, jewellery, paintings, and sculptures. Make sure to visit before it closes on 5 January.

With Christmas closer than you think, remember to check out Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. Running from 21 November to 4 January, it’s free to enter

and includes two circuses, a Christmas market, and Santa Land for the kids.

If you’re a bit of a foodie, check out the Urban Food Fest, running from 1 November to 20 December. As well as a huge variety of global food stalls, there’ll be performances from new bands and entertainers.

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Visit the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery to see the Staffordshire Hoard - the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found. The exhibit closes on 31 December.

The Ikon Gallery will be showing a short film from 19 November – 21 December by director Shi Yong. It will be the last in their year-long series of silent films, so don’t miss it if you’re a film buff.

Birmingham’s Frankfurt Christmas Market and Craft Fair, the largest German-style market outside Germany and Austria, will be returning to the city until 22 December. There’ll be over 180 stalls selling gifts, decorations, and toys – perfect for any last- minute presents.

Birm-ingham

The Manchester Art Gallery is holding a major exhibition until 22 February to mark the centenary of the First World War. Catch ‘The Sensory War 1914-2014’, where you can view the work of artists examining modern warfare from 1914 onwards.

Hosted at the Manchester Museum, the exhibition ‘Siberia: At the Edge of the World’ showcases natural

history as well as cultural objects to expose the true nature of this vast and unique region.

Fancy yourself a beer connoisseur? Make your way to the Manchester Beer & Cider Festival on 21 – 24 January to taste a selection of the finest drinks from breweries all over the world.

Manchester

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Events

Experience Christmas at the Black Creek Pioneer Village this year. Open until 23 December, you’ll discover what Christmas was like in rural Ontario and enjoy old-fashioned family fun.

The TIFF Bell Lightbox is hosting a Stanley Kubrick exhibition, displaying letters, props, and costumes from the director’s most famous films. Visit before it closes on 25 January 2015.

The National Ballet of Canada is returning with its annual Christmas show; this year, watch them perform The Nutcracker from 13 December to 3 January at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

The Junge Schauspiel theatre company is staging The Metamorphosis, Kafka’s classic story about a man who gets turned into a giant cockroach, at the Ballhof Eins in Hannover. Catch it before the run ends on 31 December.

The kestnergesellschaft art gallery will be presenting an exhibition by Jochen Plogsties called ‘Kisses in the Afternoon’ until 15 February 2015, displaying his copies of well-known artworks with a new twist.

View the Kingdom of Hanover’s crown jewels at a special exhibition at Marienburg Castle, running until 23 December. Over a hundred exhibits will be displayed, including the Royal Crown, Bridal Crown, and the Royal Sceptre.

TorontoHa

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ReDot Fine Art Gallery is showing a selection of work from two of the foremost Aboriginal art centres in Australia until 31 January 2015. The exhibits, ‘We Just Keep on Travelling Further’ and ‘Ngura Kutjupa, Tjukurpa Kutju (Different Country, One Story)’ are the first ever showing of ceramic and oft sculptural works in Singapore.

An exhibit of batik altar cloths is open until 28

December at the Peranakan Museum. ‘Auspicious Designs: Batik for Peranakan Altars’ displays the colourful cloths used during important ritual ceremonies of Chinese Peranakan life.

Bring in the new year at the Siloso Beach Party 2014, Asia’s biggest beach countdown. Enjoy 12 hours of music, a foam pool, and a sandy dance floor to welcome in 2015!

Singapore



Well-being at work

16

If you’re spending hours commuting to and from work, and your job involves mostly sitting still and concentrating for 8 hours, it can be difficult to take care of yourself. Here are this issue’s top tips to keep you feeling your best!

well-being at work

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Prepare these energising muffins on Sunday afternoon and you’ve got a guilt-free snack for any time of day.

Ingredients75g melted butter 250g self-raising flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda pinch of salt 1 tsp ground cinnamon*1 tsp ground nutmeg*115g caster sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 large, ripe bananas 2 medium eggs125ml milk A generous number of walnut kernels

*Feel free to use your culinary discretion!

1. Heat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.

2. Mash the bananas well.

3. Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a large bowl. Add caster sugar and stir through. 4. With a fork, beat together the eggs, vanilla extract, melted butter and milk in a second bowl. Add the mashed banana and stir through.

5. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the egg mixture, stirring roughly with a fork (don’t over mix) until it is a lumpy paste.

6. Set paper cases into the moulds, or grease the moulds well with extra oil or butter and spoon in the mixture until almost full. If you like, top each one with a walnut kernel.

7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the muffins come away from the side of the pan when touched.

8. Rest the muffin tray on a wire rack for five minutes then remove the muffins and leave to cool. Fo

od

If you want to fit more exercise into your day, one of the easiest ways to do it is to work some extra walking into your daily routine; or you can try some simple stretches to keep your blood flowing!

Here are five simple tips to get yourself moving a bit more:

1. Use the stairs at work, instead of the lift; start out just going downstairs and then progress to walking upstairs

2. Park further away, or get off a stop early on the train or bus

3. Leg extensions: Grab the seat of your chair to brace yourself and extend your legs

straight out in front of you so they are parallel to the floor, then flex and point your toes five times.

4. Wrist strengthening: This one is especially good if you type a lot! Get a tennis ball and squeeze it as hard as you can without hurting yourself. Hold for 5 seconds and repeat 10 times.

Exer

cise

Well-being at work | Exercise


Last year, almost half of the people in Britain considered themselves stressed; if you’re one of them, here are three ways you can start reducing your stress levels now.

1. Deep breathing techniques: When you feel stress building up, take a five minute break to regulate your breathing. Sit up straight, eyes closed, with a hand on your belly. Slowly inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. This slows the heart rate, lowers blood pressure, and calms you down.

2. Leave the stressful situation: Whether it’s the billionth email in a confusing back and forth or a colleague pressuring you to deliver, a good way to calm yourself down is to just remove yourself from the situation and clear your head. Go for a walk and take some time.

3. Sleep! Make sure you get your 8 hours every night if you can to recharge your batteries and let your brain rest. When we’re tired, we are more easily irritated – and more stressed.

Stre

ss

Well-being at work | Stress

5. Calf raises: These are easy to do if you’re waiting for the printer. Stand with your feet a shoulder-width apart, press up onto your toes, pause, then lower back down. Repeat until your printing, faxing, or scanning is done. When you’ve got the hang of that, try one leg at a time.


You’re having a laugh!

you’re having a laugh!

Global University Systems21A shopkeeper was dismayed when a brand new business much like his own opened up next door and erected a huge sign which read ‘BEST DEALS’.

He was horrified when another competitor opened up on his right, and announced its arrival with an even larger sign, reading ‘LOWEST PRICES’.

The shopkeeper panicked, until he got an idea. He put the biggest sign of all over his own shop. It read: ‘MAIN ENTRANCE’.

There are just two rules for creating a successful accountancy business:

1. Don’t tell them everything you know2. [Redacted]

Job Application Bloopers:

“Here are my qualifications for you to overlook.”

“Wholly responsible for two (2) failed financial institutions.”

“Instrumental in ruining an entire Midwest chain operation.”

“Note: Please don’t misconstrue my 14 jobs as job-hopping. I have never quit a job.”

“Experienced supervisor, defective with both rookies and seasoned professionals.”

A schoolteacher was arrested today at Gatwick Airport as he attempted to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a set square, a slide rule and a calculator.

At a morning press conference, the Home Secretary said she believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-gebra movement.

She did not identify the man, who has been charged by the police with carrying weapons of maths instruction.

A public school raises its fees, but mistakenly writes that the new fees will be paid ‘per anum’. A parent writes back to say she agrees to the new fees, but would rather continue paying through the nose.

Send in your best jokes and funny stories to [email protected]!

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