How do we recognize and support high-achieving students who are majoring in chemistry and material-related disciplines? Cathy Yan, PPG general manager, corporate and government affairs, Asia Pacific, initially asked this question in 2003, leading to the development of the PPG University Talent Power Program and the Career Intelligence Class program.
Creating career paths for students in China
Funding Higher Education Science Studies
In China, the program provides financial assistance to help students complete their education and encourages them to explore scientific research. Through continuing partnership with non-profit organizations Give2Asia and Live2Give, PPG invests in Career Intelligence Class events at 15 Chinese universities and a scholarship program at 10 of the schools.
Our PPG scientists, engineers, chemists and more are proud to personally support the students and demonstrate future career possibilities. Through facility tours and open houses, the students have an opportunity to speak directly with our employee volunteers to understand how their course work directly ties to the real-world applications developing at PPG.
"Talent plays a vital role in industrial development," said Cathy Yan, PPG general manager, corporate and government affairs, Asia Pacific. "The scholarship program is our signature initiative to support education in China. Through interaction, we hope to provide students with a deeper understanding of the industry and help them map out the right paths for their future studies and careers."
Hands-on Mentorship and Career Exposure
Our pursuit of inspiring and educating the next-generation of science talent doesn’t stop here. To supplement the University Talent Program, we launched the Career Intelligence Class program in 2015 to empower and prepare more than 13,000 total students at our partner universities with workforce development and soft-skills training.
This aspect of the program is run through a partnership with mentors from Live2Give, who direct seminars on professional development topics such as interpersonal interactions, problem solving, communication, time management, workplace etiquette and more.
The Career Intelligence Class program helps students understand current workplace requirements, clarify career direction based on strengths and interests, and cultivate relevant job skills as they initiate their career paths in STEM.
The 10 Chinese universities involved in the program in 2021 include:
- Beijing University of Chemical Technology
- East China University of Science and Technology
- Jilin University
- Nanjing University
- Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics
- Nanjing University of Technology
- Nankai University
- South China University of Technology
- Tianjin University
- Wuhan University of Technology
The five additional universities involved in the PPG Career Intelligence Class program are Beihang University, Renmin University of China, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Tsinghua University and Tianjin University of Finance and Economics Pearl River College.
To learn more about the 2021 program, click here.