A university in Birmingham is being flooded with students from Asia in a bid to stop a skills shortage which is leaving the continent’s jewellery industry struggling.
Birmingham City University’s School of Jewellery said 80 per cent of its international students who started this academic year were from Asia.
It comes as the Gems and Jewellery Skill Council of India vowed to train more than four million people by 2022 amid a shortage of skilled labour in the industry.
Fei Liu, a graduate of BCU’s School of Jewellery, has gone on to set up his own stores in the city’s Jewellery Quarter and Beijing.
He has quickly gained a celebrity following, with House actress Lisa Edelstein photographed wearing one of his rings at the Emmy Awards, while his pieces have also been spotted on model Tolula Adeymi and actress Ziyi Zhang, best known for her films Memoirs of a Geisha and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. He has also designed a plaque for footballer David Beckham.
The award-winning silversmith said being a student at BCU has been instrumental to his success.
“I was the first Chinese student in the School of Jewellery and when I first came here it was a huge challenge for my teacher to try to guess what I was trying to say!
“Since I have been in the UK, my whole understanding of art and beauty have been turned upside down.
“I have used my skills to bridge the gap between east and west and I am currently working to promote Birmingham’s trade both in the UK and internationally.”
Gaynor Andrews, head of the School of Jewellery added: “I have witnessed many key changes, not only in terms of the physical building, but also increased student numbers and a change in the student profile.
“We have almost come full circle now as the demand for the fine skills or the ‘lost’ craft skills from generations gone are high on the agenda.”
