The Alliance of International
Education (H.K.) is a young, energetic company located
in the heart of Hong Kong. It was established in 1999
following the recent years of economic downturn in
Hong Kong and the subsequent concern among professionals,
who realized the need to develop their skills and
education in order to improve their career prospects.
This increased interest can also be attributed to
the Government incentive of low-interest loans, which
were part of a move to encourage more people to take
the steps necessary to fall in line with new technologies
and an increasing trend towards globalization. It
was also at this point that the founders of AIE became
acutely aware of the growing need for an intermediary
service that could coordinate exceptionally specialized
programmes of study with a network of support.
AIE
has accumulated many years of valuable experience
working within the field of education and has thus
developed a deep insight into the many difficulties
faced by students seeking a programme of study, which
befits their goals. To ensure students reach their
full potential and gain optimum results with lasting
effects on the advancement of their careers, they
have created a highly personalized service, earning
the esteem and recommendation of former progamme participants.
In
fact, with the assistance of AIE, many students from
Hong Kong have so far successfully participated in
collaborative programmes at top universities and colleges
in the U.S.A., UK and Australia. In the year 2000,
their steadfast guidance again proved invaluable to
many students for whom AIE made it possible to gain
entry into the highly commended BPhil and MPhil/Ph.D.
programmes, which are being offered in Hong Kong and
validated by the University of Exeter in the UK.
Currently,
AIE is offering hundreds of students the opportunity
to study in an offshore Bachelor of Science programme
at Oxford Brookes University in the UK. The singular
popularity of this programme was a key factor in their
decision to introduce a Masters of Science study programme,
also at Oxford Brookes, beginning in May 2003.
However,
studying abroad is not a viable option for all students
and recent trends have shown that an increasing number
of businessmen and women are turning to the Internet
to study for their degrees or qualifications. To cater
for those professionals, who for whatever reasons
are unable to take leave, AIE has also created an
equally advantageous Internet Learning service. Working
jointly with Indiana University (U.S.A), the University
of Illinois in Chicago (U.S.A) and the University of
Washington (U.S.A), AIE has made significant contributions to the
promotion of online programmes in Hong Kong.