Wirral Met is set to expand its offer of international student work experience this year with the announcement of its successful bid for Turing funding.
Funding from the UK’s new Turing scheme, and Erasmus+ programme will provide more than 200 students at Wirral Met with the life-changing opportunity to work and study abroad for free.
Over the next academic year and in line with Covid-19 restrictions, the College will offer students aged 16-19 fully funded placements in European destinations such as Granada, Malta, Seville, Tenerife and Italy.
During these placements abroad, which last from 2-3 weeks, students will be given the opportunity to learn about their chosen industry sectors, develop employability skills, interact with new people and enhance sought after skills such as problem solving, teamwork, communication and resilience. Everything from the flights, accommodation, food and other expenses are fully funded through the Turing scheme or Erasmus+ Programme, meaning 16-19 year olds have nothing to pay.
Sue Higginson, Principal of Wirral Met said: “This experience will help our students learn techniques and skills from another country as well as giving them valuable work experience and developing their independence.
“This international work experience provides an excellent opportunity for students to boost their employment prospects and enhance their UCAS applications, if they wish to progress on to university.
“With plenty of career choices in the UK and abroad, the sky’s the limit when it comes to future options for our students!”
International educational experiences on offer at Wirral Met next year include a three-week work experience placement in Seville Spain for Construction and Built Environment students, who will also learn Spanish as part of the study programme.
Seville is also on the map for Uniformed Services students who will be participating in lots of different adventurous activities as well as visiting Gibraltar to delve into military history.
Travel, Tourism and Aviation students will have the opportunity to take off to Granada and Malta to learn valuable skills and experience in aviation, cabin crew, tourism and leisure.
Accounting and Business students will also get the chance to fly to Malta for two weeks. The placement will be closely linked to the skills, knowledge and behaviours that students will need in their future careers. Malta is a leading European financial centre which combines high regulatory standards and rigorous enforcement with a commercial, business savvy attitude.
Lisbon, Portugal is the destination for the College’s Sports students, who will get a fantastic opportunity to train and play with professional football team S.L Benfica FC. Students will be able to work with the youth team coaches and acquire new skills and learn the about the Benfica way and methodology.
Forty Hair and Beauty students will travel to Tenerife for three weeks and will be working in hairdressing and beauty therapy businesses, developing their industry skills and learning basic Spanish.
Meanwhile, Hospitality and Culinary Arts students will perfect the art of Italian cuisine with a trip to Napoli for three weeks. During the stay, students will be based at a restaurant, café, hotel or resort and will learn the wide range of traditional and modern Italian products.
Applications for our exciting study programmes are open for September 2021. Wirral Met has a guaranteed place for all 16-18 year olds (providing it can meet your individual support needs).
Join the thousands of students studying at Wirral Met for outstanding support, excellent facilities and help with progressing into jobs, apprenticeships and university. Whatever your GCSE results, we have a course for you!