Successful British businessman Geoffrey Davies is keep to extend the educational links between Otago Boys High School, the University of Otago and some of the 17 companies in his Alamo Group Europe.
Mr Davies (60) was in Dunedin this week to speak at the university.
Although he has been based in the United Kingdom since leaving school, he retains strong links with OBHS, which he attended, and he is an active member of the school's foundation.
In the UK, Mr Davies sponsors five undergraduates a year through his group and there are 30 on the programme at any one time.
He told the Otago Daily Times he was keen to set up a similar programme in the city with his old school and the university.
The programme would see an OBHS pupil being sponsored to study at the university before gaining an internship at one of the Alamo Group companies.
The intern would get exposure to UK and French companies before finishing his or her qualifications and working for the group.
Mr Davies was also looking for a New Zealand company he could buy in a rural area where he could send British interns to work.
They would also possibly study at the University of Otago.
Education was a key part of the group's self-development programme for workers, he said.
"In all Alamo companies, everyone is encouraged to work towards constant improvement, both personal and company-wide.
"Anyone, from the cleaners to me, is empowered to identify areas for improvement. Education is a high priority to me."
Mr Davies cited the case of a 16-year-old schoolgirl who was hired to answer the telephones in the office.
However, she could barely answer the phones when she arrived.
With the encouragement of Mr Davies, the girl studied to pass her A levels and went on to university where she qualified as a lawyer.
She continued to work at Alamo as one of the group lawyers.
Young women and men were running production units with some guidance, based on their ability to work.
Alamo had a deliberate policy to base its company in rural settings where people needed jobs and there was a higher quality of life.
