Borders College recently welcomed former student and now Permanent Secretary (Ministry of Defence) for the Republic of Zambia, Norman Chipakupaku to the College to catch up with staff and students and look at some of the new and emerging technologies being used.
Norman studied HND Business Administration with the College from 2001-2003 before completing a master’s degree in International Marketing with at Heriot-Watt University in 2005.
The link programme was set up by both the College and Heriot-Watt to allow business students to progress from higher education to university and was instrumental in Norman’s career development.
As a former Board Member of the College, Norman was keen to see how the teaching facilities at Borders College have evolved and was interested to hear about the learning opportunities available to students now.
He was delighted to be given a tour of the College’s Cyber Security Room, which offers students the chance to learn about digital security in a bespoke setting. He also experienced the new BT Immersive Room, which offers a full 360-degree floor-to-ceiling socially immersive experience for classes.
As a former student, College staff presented Norman with a Global Citizenship Award. The College recently introduced the award to assist students in developing the essential skills and personality traits that allow them to effectively interact with the world at large, hence turning them into productive ‘global citizens’.
Norman is a business management specialist in international marketing with research interest in relationship marketing and social enterprises. He has over 30 years of work experience in Zambia and the UK, and several African countries.
He worked on the Malawi Project with the Scottish Government and was awarded the Learner Partnership Award in 2006. He has also worked for several UK charities including Christian Blind Mission (CBM-UK), Cross Reach (Church of Scotland) and Comic Relief.