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Giles Brooker Education

Why choose Giles Brooker Education?

Giles Brooker Education is a multi-disciplinary Education Development Organisation working in India and South-East Asia to facilitate international collaboration between institutions, and innovative study programmes for local and international students.

We have helped develop and manage study tours in India which have been funded two years in a row by the New Zealand Prime Minister's Scholarships for Asia programme.

We are part of the Giles Brooker Group which is based in New Zealand. The Giles Brooker Group wishes to contribute to the social and economic development of countries in which it works, through the strengthening of educational institutions and programmes through international collaboration and enhanced international understanding as a result of positive international education experiences.

Founded
2010

Reviews

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Tyla
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Study in India

This was by far a life changing experience and one I recommend anyone to do if they are granted the opportunity. Whilst it may seem daunting at first being away for 6 weeks, take that leap into the unknown. The team at GB education and Bannari Amman look after you better than you could ever imagine so you are definitely in good hands. The international experience in terms of participating and being exposed to Indian culture is such an eye opening affair and understanding how other places in the world conduct business really have helped shape my business future.

Ooty Tea Plantation
Gabriel
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Best Study Trip since France

The study facility & accomodation at Bannari Amman Institute of Technology are world class. The guest house was a place where it felt like home away from home. The environment that the staff at the college, and guest house provided, was an atmosphere that I both feel comfortable and at ease. The recreational facilities include a gym for guests that was both modern and spacious.

The quality of the learning experience at the BIT institute and Quantum Knits exceeded my expectation of India, because of the technical knowledge and the enthusiasm that staff and a textile manufacturing company have passed onto us. A significant factor to the success of the study tour is the well structured programme.

It exceeded every expectation that I had about the people, culture, business and philanthropy. Giles Brooker's team in Coimbatore, not only managed a well run tour, but also provided us the opportunity to take on extra cultural experiences, such as elephant riding, temple visits. Just a holistic sense of what it is like to do business there. Not to mention, the academic staff (PhD students) that accompanied us on the tour was very knowledgeable and in accommodating our cultural differences.

The level of engagement in India was a lot more in depth and challenging. That is weekly presentations to industry experts, gave me the chance to really get my information right. At Victoria University, my learning experience is primarily assignment based on theoretical underpinnings of human resource management, economics, finance and corporate social responsibility. In comparison, the study tour in India both provided a chance to explore academic literature and experience what it is like in real world business.

The highlight for me would be Quantum Knit's internship. Dhanabalan, Vice President, really passed onto me a first hand knowledge of what top management deals with on a day to day basis. An experience with learning about the different divisions of a garment manufacturing company, widened my scope on how a business chain solutions and logistics work in Tamil Nadu. The opportunity to meet buyers (customers) of Quantum Knits illustrated a proud sense of business ethics that Dhanabalan carries within QK.

The overseas study tour and internship have enabled me to gain the confidence and necessary cultural sensitivity for communicating and successfully navigating through a wide variety of business models. That is the vis-à-vis business skills, that is face to face meetings, leadership within an international setting. But most of all, the stuff that I cannot read about in literature.

My outlook in overseas work and internships have changed now. That is I am a lot more confident in developing professional business relationships. Outlook is optimistic, because of the positive experience in India, have led me to be more open to opportunities overseas, India and other countries abroad.

What would you improve about this program?
I honestly do not think there is any thing that would have prepared me better than the guide that Prabha have put together from Giles Brooker Group. The guide was comprehensive and relevant for the time that I spent in India.
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Shalini
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Business & the Supply Chain in India, Study Tours and Internships

I feel very privileged to have been given this amazing opportunity to study and experience Logistics and Supply Chain in India for 6 weeks. The organisers at BIT did a marvellous job, incorporating the various industry visits with sightseeing. We travelled to some amazing places like the Mysore Palace, Otty, Chennai just to name a few. The accommodation at BIT is 5-star luxury and the food is amazing. I must say we were very well looked after by the staff there and treated like Kings and Queens. We visited various industries such as textiles, healthcare, distribution, soap manufacturing, tea manufacturing, cold storage warehouses, beverage manufacturing and bottling. These all were very interesting and provided an insight on how business is conducted in India. I would highly recommend this study tour.

What would you improve about this program?
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Sabian
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Life-changing, don't miss it.

This study tour has been a once in a life time experience for sure! You really get to experience the heart of South India and gain a valuable perspective on business in another country. From the Tea-laden mountains of Ooty to the vast backwaters of Kerala, to the jam-packed mega-cities of Bangalore and Chennai, you get to experience the real South India. And from all the friendly and personable people you meet, you get to experience South India's heart. A good balance of getting the tourist experience (visiting all the incredible sights) and the local experience (attending festivals, visiting homes, getting a good glimpse into India, behind-the-scenes). The businesses you visit for the supply chain tour are a wide variety of industries. Some are very traditional whilst others are very modern, all providing a varied, interesting and valuable learning experience. Can't speak highly enough of the guest quarters - five star service, five star facilities. You are in very safe, friendly and knowledgeable hands with Giles Brooker Education and BIT. Lots of laughter, lots of learning.

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Mohammed
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Supply Chain and Logistics Field Study India

From day 1 the rides been awesome and extra ordinary.
From trying and enjoying the new food delicacies to the rich culture and an overall experience in traditional Supply Chain in India the experience has to be one the highlights of my life. We starting with visiting the rich cultural heritage of India by visiting the temples and getting involved in their Pongal festival.
the ride from here was full throttle.
Around 20 industrial visits to 2 weeks of Internship allowed us a broad and in depth insight of the work culture in India.

What would you improve about this program?
fields of Internship as this was the first for Supply Chain I am sure its just going to get better.

Programs

Displaying 1 - 2 of 2

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

Prabha Govindasamy

Job Title
Managing Director
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What position do you hold at Giles Brooker Education and why do you like working there?

I've been working with the Giles Brooker Group for over 10 years now. I’m the Managing Director of Giles Brooker Education and Giles Brooker Academy based in India but am actually a New Zealand citizen since I migrated to New Zealand in 1996. I share my time between New Zealand and India so get the best of both worlds.

We work on developing two-way pathways for education (and sometimes three-ways connecting institutions in three or more countries). I really enjoy being able to share the education origins and focus of the companies and find ways to provide transformative experiences to people, and developing collaborations that are mutually respectful and build on the strengths of our collaborative partners to create something innovative and exciting.

Have you been on a program abroad? If so, where and what inspired you to go?

In some ways my life has been a program abroad since I first went to New Zealand. I studied and worked there (gaining my second degree as well as bringing up my children) and had many opportunities to learn about a new culture – but also and importantly to reflect and learn more about my own, using the new perspectives and paradigms of my new country.

In recent years I’ve had opportunities to travel quite widely, to the US (to visit my daughter and her children now living in North Carolina), to the UK and France (to learn more about wine and cheese of course) and to other countries in South-East Asia.

How do your study tours differ from others?

We think our programs offer great opportunities to focus on niche areas and issues and to really engage with their target culture. And I’m proud to play a key role in the process, and particularly to bring international students to my first home of southern India – to introduce them to an important but surprisingly unknown part of the country.

All of our programs are developed in partnership with respected institutions in the countries and give participants new and targeted insights into how the country works. Our groups are small where everyone gets opportunities to engage. Our schedules include learning alongside cultural experiences. And working with our partner institutions ensures that you get local insights, meet local students and make local friendships that can lead to exciting professional collaborations in the future. Our collaborative partners offer very high standards of learning and also of accommodation and boarding facilities. We have been working with our partners for many years now and we know and trust them totally.

What is your favorite story of a participant's experience in the program?

The best experiences for me are the transformations within the participants’ lives. Have a look at these quotes from surveys we’ve done:

“It didn’t take long into five weeks for me to realize this, and that’s when I started having one of the best experiences of my life. Everything I thought I knew about India was completely wrong, and the more time I spent there the more apparent it became that it is a culture so rich and complex, that instead of trying to understand it all it was easier to just embrace it and go with the flow. My time in India was full of unforgettable memories, along with the sadness of knowing that we would be leaving far too quickly.”

“.... you could easily look around India and feel pity for the people there- the poverty, the non-stop chaos, the rubbish on the sides of the roads. But nearer the end of the trip I realized that was an arrogant way of thinking. There is a lot about Indian life we can be jealous of. Coming from somewhere where we moan if we have to work through a lunch break, and seeing people having business meetings at 1am, makes you realize we really don’t need a lot to be content. Everyone I met was so happy, and they were able to find beauty and enjoyment out of their life regardless of what they had.”

What would you tell someone who's reluctant or anxious about going to India?

I know it can be a bit daunting but I’ve seen from my time living in both countries how the media loves focusing on the downside. Of course there are risks in any travel but these are manageable with common sense……and a few discrete nudges from time to time. I’ll be in the background to help with this. We want participants to experience some culture shock and, with a bit of support, to develop ways of managing this and gaining a global perspective.

I know you’ll be anxious, and at times this can be good, but as a parent, please be assured I wouldn’t allow anyone to be put in a position where I wouldn’t send my family. And that the transformation that comes from a visit to “Incredible India” will be a wonderful contribution to their lives and careers ahead.