A major part of the Society's charitable objectives are fulfilled by the creation of a Scholarship Fund designed to support the development in young people of the essential business skills needed to work effectively in Japan and through Japan, in East Asia.
The fund is named after Aberdeen Asset Management the major sponsor of the Scholarship and Thomas Blake Glover (1836-1911), the Scottish born entrepreneur. His career in Asia began with Jardine, Matheson & Co in Hong Kong from where he went to Japan. He created Glover and Co. in Nagasaki in 1859, and was most successful in helping the modernisation process ushered in by the Meiji Period (1868-1912). He also left some tangible results in the form of a brewery that later became the Kirin Beer brand and is associated with the Mitsubishi group of corporations. For decades, Kirin was the best selling beer in Japan and still remains a leading force in the market. Glover House in Nagasaki draws thousands of visitors every year, which makes Glover a powerful symbol of the Scottish presence in Japan in the second half of the nineteenth century.
Other Scots made various important contributions in the fields of civil engineering, education and public administration, but Glover remains the symbol of commercial involvement and enterprise.
The Japanese language and the business culture of Japan are inextricably linked and as a minimum requirement for any serious business involvement need to be understood and assimilated. Large numbers of young Chinese are flocking to Japan to study the language. Indeed, Chinese nationals are securing work in the UK often because they are fluent in both English and Japanese and can operate effectively in Japan. As the world's economic centre of gravity moves further east, the importance of the Japanese language should be more apparent if the Chinese consider it, in many cases, to be almost as important as English.
For details of the Scholarship and the timetable please follow this link.
Today (Monday 17th January) sees the launch of the search to find the candidate for the 2011 Thomas Blake Glover Aberdeen Asset Scholarship, a charitable fund which enables Scottish students to study at Japanese universities. Initiated by the Japan Society of Scotland, the scholarship, which is now in its third year, is open to young people who are at a post secondary educational level. Preference is given to candidates who have a business focus in their interest in Japan. Applications can be made in either hard copy or digital form and should take the form of no more than 2 pages outlining the candidate's background, interest in Japan and reasons for wishing to study the Japanese languages.
The scholarship will fund them to travel to Japan to undertake a period of intensive study of the Japanese language at the International Christian University (ICU) Summer Programme. Travel, accommodation and fees plus a modest living allowance will be provided for the successful candidate from the generous donation by Aberdeen Asset Management of £5,000 to the Scholarship Fund.
The scholarship is intended to provide financial support for a young person to travel to Japan and follow an intensive period of study of the Japanese Language.
For details of the Scholarship and the timetable please follow this link.
Potential candidates interested in applying for the Thomas Blake Glover Aberdeen Asset Scholarship should send applications to:
Charles Edmond
Honorary Secretary
4 Ravelston Park, Edinburgh
EH4 3DX UK
Glasgow-based student, Graham Riach, was named as the first recipient of the newly created business scholarship in 2009. Last year applications for the scholarship were so strong that two students were picked as beneficiaries of the award. Caroline Ruxton of Aberdeen and Lloyd Conaghan of Glasgow travelled to Japan for two months to study the intensive summer programme.Carolyn Ruxton, a graduate in architecture was the overall winner of 2010's scholarship. Carolyn's clear passion for Eastern culture made her stand out from the crowd during the judging process, however Lloyd Conaghan's application was so strong that Aberdeen Asset Management decided to fund a second scholarship.
Chairman of the Japan Society of Scotland, Professor Stuart Picken, says, "2010 saw a fantastic calibre of applicants, so much so that we had to choose two students. Both Carolyn and Lloyd showed a great passion for Japanese language and culture along with clear objectives for how they would use the skills and knowledge gained from the scholarship experience to develop their future careers. I am confident that the experience was extremely beneficial to them. The aim of the scholarship is to encourage more graduates to learn Japanese and gain work experience in Japan. By awarding the scholarship, the Japan Society of Scotland is providing a great opportunity for young Scots."
24 year old, Carolyn said, "Winning the scholarship was a dream come true for me. I have always wanted to work in the east and this trip was the first step towards my dream career. During the six week scholarship I had the chance to develop my Japanese language skills both inside and outside the classroom and surprised myself with how much I learnt in only two months.
"I am forever grateful to Aberdeen Asset Management and the Japan Society of Scotland for giving me this opportunity. By funding this scholarship they give people a fantastic start to their career and the chance to gain skills that not many people others possess. For those who read this and think that it sounds like something they would benefit from I would definitely tell them to go for it. All too often we let opportunities like this slip away as we don't think anything will come of it, which is exactly what I thought when I applied for the scholarship, but I have gained so much from filling in that application form."
Martin Gilbert, chief executive of Aberdeen Asset Management says, "Aberdeen Asset Management is proud to support this scholarship for the third year. Carolyn and Lloyd were extremely worthy recipients of the 2010 scholarship and I hope that this year we can find another fantastic student to benefit from the experience. The scholarship is a way of encouraging Scottish students to experience Japanese education, industries and lifestyle and an opportunity to forge new partnerships with the country, which has one of the world's largest economies. We hope that the next scholar can emulate Glover's ability to bring eastern and western cultures together."
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