East Coast College has been successful in securing further funding through the government’s Turing Scheme to allow students to continue to study across the globe.
New Zealand, Budapest, and Peru have all been added to the list of destinations that students will travel to, enabling them to immerse themselves in a range of cultures and learning experiences to further their academic studies.
The news comes shortly after the college’s Uniformed Public Services students returned from an unforgettable three-week educational trip to California, where they worked with the United States Space Force and San Diego Military Academy. They visited Los Angeles, where they were given a full tour of the LAPD training academy and had the opportunity to use state-of-the-art VR, used for training simulations by only a few facilities in the world.
Earlier this year, the college’s Travel and Tourism students also benefited from the Turing Scheme as they embarked on a two-week educational trip to Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam where they enjoyed lessons on Vietnamese culture, customs and language before volunteering at a soup kitchen.
Due to the positive impact the trips have had on students from the college’s Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth campuses, East Coast College has successfully secured a new bid to enable even more students to benefit from the scheme.
During the next academic year, Childcare students will be introduced to a new early years curriculum in New Zealand that will enrich their own practice in the UK. They will be exposed to the Te Whariki approach by visiting nurseries and working with practitioners. It puts children and play in the centre of the curriculum, focusing on holistic development and belonging and family as core drivers.
Health and Social Care students will travel to Budapest where they will experience different approaches to health and preventative treatments. Students will visit a children’s residential home, philanthropist centre, community home for juvenile delinquents, the Vadaskert Foundation for children’s mental health, university of nursing and Danube Palace amongst others.
The college’s Animal Care students will once again have the chance to visit a private nature reserve in South Africa where they will work as interns alongside the nature reserve staff, undertaking game counts, anti-poaching exercises, data collection and field patrols. The trip will help to encourage students to develop an ambitious work ethic and build on the college’s sustainability agenda.
Creative Art students will be venturing to Italy, where they will visit the Borghese Gallery Museum, Boboli Gardens and the Gucci Museum to develop critical and analytical skills within a range of different genres in the art world. They will also embark on tours to Rome, Florence, Naples and Venice, visiting historical sights and famous landmarks.
Students studying Motor Vehicle will visit factories and museums in Germany including prestigious manufacturers such as Mercedes, BMW, Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche. They will be inspired by current manufacturing processes and develop an understanding of the latest trends in automotive engineering including advanced electronic systems and hybrid and electrical vehicles.
And Travel and Tourism students will engage in community outreach in Peru. This project will allow students the opportunity gain work experience that supports career aspirations and be a catalyst for seeking future opportunities. The skills developed will be sustainable, transferable and enhance employability projects as they are culturally immersed into exploring tourism honey pots such as Macchu Picchu.
Holly Chase, East Coast College Assistant Principal, said: “East Coast College prides itself in increasing opportunities for all of our students and we are once again delighted to receive funding through the Turing Scheme to support their academic development across the globe. We strive to be an effective anchor institution that brings people together, driving a positive change, and these educational trips wholeheartedly support this.
“Our students will be immersed in a range of cultures and new partnerships will be developed to validate our curriculum and ensure skills gaps are identified and met, equipping our students with the tools to future proof their success in their chosen fields.”
The government’s Turing Scheme provides young people with the fully-funded opportunities to work and study abroad while boosting ties with international partners. The initiative enables students to develop their CVs, build employability and enhance their subject knowledge, giving them the best opportunities when they progress from college.