Long Wang and Yanlu Guan

Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland Scheme

Name: Long Wang and Yanlu Guan
Born: China
Region: Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, China

A young couple from China have had a remarkable dual experience, mirroring each other’s education and career, in both their homeland and in Scotland. Long Wang and his girlfriend Yanlu Guan both graduated from the same Chinese University as B.Eng and came to Scotland together in December 2003 to take their Masters degrees at Dundee University.

They graduated together MSc. Eng by research in 2005 and are now working as Civil/Structural Engineers in Glasgow under the Fresh Talent Scheme. “We have known each other since we went to the Zhejiang University of  Technology together and, when we graduated, we decided we would like to come to Scotland because we believed it could provide us with a high standard of education,” said Long Wang.

They were not disappointed.  “We thoroughly enjoyed the course and both found it very useful,” he said.

After graduating in 2004, the couple applied together for their first jobs in Scotland as Structural Engineers and were both accepted by W. A. Fairhurst & Partners, the largest private partnership of consulting engineers in the UK. Among recent contracts undertaken by the company are the strengthening of the Forth Road Bridge and the Science Centre and Imax Cinema development in Glasgow.

Long Wang has moved onto a new job in the Glasgow office of Atkins, the largest engineering consultancy firms in the UK.  His FT visa finishes in November but his new employer has applied for a 60 month work permit. Yanlu is still enjoying her job as a Graduate Engineer with Fairhurst and hopes to move onto a HSMP work permit (Highly Skilled Migrant Programme). “As we have found, there are good career opportunities in Scotland and we enjoy living here very much among people with differing cultures and countries in peace and understanding,” said Long Wang.

“Another good reason for living in Scotland is that there are potentially good business opportunities here but that is a long way off.  For the moment, I am learning what I can about the people, the culture and how things are done.”

“The Fresh Talent Scheme smoothes the way for the employee and the employer by arranging the visas and work permits and makes it so much easier for everyone,” said Long Wang. Yanlu adds that the scheme gives international graduates “the chance to show that they are really talented in their professional field.”

Information correct at April 2007

Related Links