Malaysian work experience offer for six pupils

Six Lower Sixth students have been selected to participate in the first Vinod Sekhar ‘Petra Tara’ Fellowships, which entail a three-week trip to Malaysia in the summer holidays to undertake work experience whilst staying with local families.

Felicia Vocke (C), Jenna Wood (Aby), Chris Erasmus (B), Alistair Philpott (Th), Virali Patel (Alb) and Robert Davis (E) will be given the opportunity to shadow senior professionals in some top Malaysian companies in fields ranging from architecture, marketing and journalism to engineering and civil aviation.

The Fellowships have been introduced to Haileybury courtesy of Datuk Vinod Sekhar (OH – M83), President and Group Chief Executive of the Petra Group in Malaysia.

Each candidate had to write a response to a lecture/essay, entitled "Globalisation, Economics and Terrorism (Time to Innovate, Invent and Create)" given by Vinod Sekhar at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in 2004. This was followed by an interview with four staff and it was so difficult to come to a final decision that Vinod was happy to increase the number of places from four to six.

Alister Bartholomew, Housemaster of Edmonstone who also chaired the selection committee, says that both the essays that the pupils produced and their response at interview were outstanding.

"This will be a marvellous experience for all involved, in one of the most exciting countries in South East Asia," he adds.

Meanwhile, the first two Sekhar Scholars, who will start the first of their two Sixth Form years in September, have been named as Olivia Godlee and Eralp Ertekun (E).