Mobility matters

By Andrew Kittell

With a still largely undefined Brexit fast approaching, there’s at least some good news to share from the UK. Students from the ACS International Schools there have seen their hard work pay off, gaining admission to such world-recognised universities as Oxford, Cambridge, and those of America’s Ivy League.

ACS International Schools also continue admitting students in the UK and Qatar, including increasing numbers from local internationally-minded families. Still, the majority enrolled are temporarily living in London and Doha, on assignments managed by their employers and served by the global mobility industry. Contrary to Brexit headlines, many are still from the financial services sector and virtually every other type of enterprise, including tech giants like Apple, Amazon, Google, and Facebook.

 

Bay Area Mobility Management Conference

One of the most vibrant of talent mobility industry groups, the Bay Area Mobility Management’s (BAMM) annual conferences regularly sell out with attendance sometimes exceeding 600. BAMM’s members hail from throughout the San Francisco Bay area, including nearby Silicon Valley.

BAMM’s day-long 20 February conference focused on design thinking, exploring the innovative methods made famous in this tech-rich region to reimagine a relocation experience enhanced by emerging trends like data analytics and machine learning/artificial intelligence. The conclusion: these changes are coming faster than many may assume, but human-to-human interaction will remain at the core of any successful move.

 

New Jersey Relocation Council Conference

The New Jersey Relocation Council’s (NJRC) biannual events, hosted each autumn and spring, attract an audience from Philadelphia/New York-area companies with a collective global footprint in pharmaceuticals. These R&D-reliant multinationals only thrive by attracting the world’s best talent. Most also have significant operations in the UK and most sponsor families on assignment robustly, including paying children’s fees at top international schools like ACS. Merck and Pfizer are also two NJRC members today making multi-billion dollar investments near London.

 

British Studies Summer Programme 2019

Now a UK-registered charity with a separate 2018-established US-based 501 (c) (3) tax exempt nonprofit, ACS International Schools are striving to serve the greater good, extending opportunities for young people. For over 20 years, deserving and highly able high school-age Americans have enjoyed all-expenses-paid scholarships for a June/July study-travel course that we call the British Studies Summer Programme (BSSP). Hosted in the boarding facilities of our world-class ACS Cobham campus and led by our expert teachers there, BSSP has changed the lives of over 300 summer scholars, giving nearly all a first-ever experience abroad.

 

 

As you will read in this issue’s profile of immigration attorney Stephen Maltby, respected members of the global mobility industry have been directly involved and personally invested in making a difference in the lives of the next generation.

We invite you to do the same, making a US tax deductible contribution to our Scholarship Fund here: https://www.acs-schools.com/acs-america-inc

 

ACS International Schools in America Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organisation based in New York that supports education around the world. Our mission is to raise awareness of and support for ACS International Schools education allowing more students to benefit from the wonderful opportunities offered by the schools, and help change lives. www.acs-schools.com

 

Look for ACS on the road in 2019

 

During early 2019, the ACS North American Office team will attend regional events focused on talent development and mobility.

9 April: New Jersey Relocation Council Conference
Please contact Mary Harris at [email protected] to assist you with registration. www.njrc.com

30 April: British-American Foundation of Texas Awards Ceremony in Houston

22-23 May: Forum for Expatriate Management’s (FEM) Americas Summit in Dallas

 

More details about these events and other ACS North American Office 2019 travel commitments will be announced via LinkedIn and Twitter.