Former student creates one-stop shop for international students
Huddersfield graduate Abid Bashir (left) and CastleHill Global’s managing partner Shafqat Malik (centre left) are welcomed to the University by Pro Vice-Chancellor (International) Professor Dave Taylor (centre right) and the Director of International Development, Andrew Mandebura.
Wed, 19 Nov 2014 14:52:00 GMT
...and that is just the start for the growing partnership between CastleHill Global and the University of Huddersfield
AFTER Huddersfield graduate Abid Bashir had relocated to the UK for postgraduate study, he developed his idea for a business that would make life much easier for students who followed in his footsteps. It led to the creation of CastleHill Global Capital Holding, which has now smoothed the path for hundreds who have come to British universities for a world-class higher education.
Pakistan-born Abid received his at the University of Huddersfield, where he gained an MSc degree in computer science. And it was the Huddersfield’s district’s most famous landmark, Castle Hill, that provided a name for the new business that offers advice and practical assistance to overseas students and which forms partnerships with companies and governments.
After obtaining his Master’s degree in 2008, Abid worked as a database manager for a multi-national logistics company until he decided to strike out on his own and established CastleHill Global.
While studying at the University of Huddersfield, he had helped a fellow student, from Saudi Arabia, with advice on issues such as accommodation and the university admissions processes.
“He asked me a couple of questions to begin with, and it all started from there, leading to a one-stop shop for overseas students.”
Abid and his partners have grown the business via exhibitions and social media and now offer their services to large numbers of students, principally in Middle Eastern countries. The students are given advice on the best choice of UK course and university and are helped to find good quality accommodation, which tends to be the biggest concern.
The assistance extends to meeting students at the airport as they fly into the UK and taxi-ing them to their new universities. During their period of study, the students keep in touch with CastleHill Global and are offered extra help when they need it. The company also has links with language schools that develop students’ skills in English.
Partnership
CastleHill Global now works with a large roster of UK universities, but Huddersfield was the first and is still the principal partner. In fact, a spin-out company, CastleHill Capital and Investment, is now moving into the development of student accommodation, with a project to adapt a Huddersfield town centre building.
One of Abid’s goals is to work with students from the Indian sub-continent. But so far CastleHill Global has dealt almost exclusively with the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The students from the region who come to the UK – guided by the company – are mostly sponsored by the companies or government agencies, in order to study subjects such as engineering and business.
In conjunction with CastleHill Global, the University of Huddersfield is now looking to open an office in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates. This will aid in recruitment of students from the GCC countries (Co-operation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf) which comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
