Notre Dame International Baccalaureate graduates return to school to pick up their IB diplomas. Diploma Progamme graduates are increasingly sought after in the corporate world.How do you help businesses understand the value of an International Baccalaureate education?
International School of London (ISL) Group's answer was to bring together business and education leaders to discuss the topic openly, at an event co-hosted by Families in Global Transition (FIGT) in the United Kingdom.
Representatives from the corporate world discussed with heads of school from across the country what attributes they are looking for in potential employees and what skills will be in demand in the future, noting that the required qualities are closely aligned with those of the IB Learner Profile.
"You can pretty much take the IB Diploma Programme and put it into the corporate world," says Kimberly Blasingame, regional HR manager for the Europe Division of the American Bureau of Shipping. "I want someone who's done well academically, but I also want someone who may have been on a sports team, has done some community service and gets on with people from different cultures because they're going to need to think and work as a team, and fit into our diverse and global corporate community."
Paul Morris, IB coordinator and deputy head of ISL, notes that it's not just potential employers who are attracted by Diploma Programme graduates. They are also gaining increasing recognition from the best universities. "Universities like the IB because the students are well-rounded, independent learners and good critical thinkers," Morris said. "They are impressed by the consistency of grading, and feel that the extended essay prepares students for university-level study."
Figures suggest that 44.2 percent of all Diploma Programme graduates attend the top universities, compared with 20 percent of non-Diploma Programme students. ISL's event has demonstrated that students who complete the Diploma Programme are already one step ahead of the corporate game by the time they leave high school.
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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.