Education in general and higher education in particular has been increasingly understood as a prerequisite for national development and global economic competitiveness. In the context of developing qualified professional cadre for the economic prosperity of the nation, the role of the recipients of quality higher education from prestigious universities of the world is obviously vital. This paper investigates employers' attitudes towards the recipients of the international scholarship programme funded by the government of Kazakhstan - Bolashak. More specifically, the paper examines professional skills and values that the scholarship recipients bring back home as the government's return on investment. From the perspectives of the employers, the paper elicits most valued professional qualities that the recipients demonstrate at work. The paper involved a series of face-to-face interviews with the employers who hired the Bolashak recipients and the graduates themselves. The results of the study may have implications for the countries involved in launching international scholarship programmes for the sake of their economic and social benefits.