Shanghai Daily news

While more and more Chinese study and work abroad, a group of French university students is turning the table by getting work experience in the local market.

Currently, 11 students from Grande Ecole d'Ingenieur en Electronique and Informatique in Lyon are undertaking an eight-month study and work program in Changning District. It is part of their fifth and final year master education program. All the students are in their twenties.

Supported by the district government, the internship program is similar to a matchmaker in that it absorbs foreign talent into domestic enterprises while providing an outlet for technical and cultural exchange.

The program also provides the visitors with the opportunity to study Mandarin and Chinese culture.

After arriving in Shanghai in February, the students began their stay with three months of language study. Their internships then began in May.

With the students assigned to work for five enterprises located in the district, the consensus among them was that it has been a great experience.

Jourdan de Magnitot Louis, an ESEO student who specializes in signal processing, is currently working with micro processors and documentations in Shanghai Research Centre for Wireless Communication.

He is involved in a research project in cooperation with Nokia.

"I chose to become involved in this program because I wanted to gain professional and intercultural experiences in China," he said.

"It is also interesting to discover a different culture. By example, the working environment here is more serious and people are more concentrated on their work. In France there are flowers and jokes everywhere when working in an office. The atmosphere is more relaxing."

He added he loved the nightlife on Hengshan Road and he had gained a broader understanding of China from living here and in working for a domestic company.

Another student, Celine Bois, is one of five women in the program.

The micro electronics and microwave major is currently working at Allrizon - Tongguang Communications Equipment (Shanghai) Co Ltd. She said the development opportunities rather than salary were her primary concern for being here.

"I was hunting for a program that could enrich my practical skills as soon as possible. Coming to China proved a good fit."

Bois, 23, said she was planning to stay in Shanghai for six months after her graduation for further Mandarin studies. She was also open to finding a job in the city.

"Companies here offer higher starting positions than the companies in France."

She admitted she was sometimes not a big help to her colleagues at work because all the documents and software are in Chinese. "But I can see the working procedure, working environment and their behavior with each other. I am interested in seeing different people behaving in different ways."

District officials called the internship program a "new shining point" for bilateral cooperation, both in luring foreign talent and for cultural exchange.

Teacher Zhu Yi, who is in charge of the Sino-French internship project, said another similar program was expected to launch with Changning District in future.

In addition, the district has also established an office for returning scholars to gain more business opportunities in an effort to attract more global talent to the area.