Wirral Met College students have been celebrating after the College gained Erasmus+ funding, which means that 20 Travel and Tourism students can benefit from gaining excellent experience working in hotels and leisure attractions in Malta.
The students, who are aged between 16 and 19, are currently studying on the level three BTEC Travel and Tourism Extended Diploma and BTEC Aviation Operations Diploma courses. This project will allow them to work in Malta over a three week period, gaining valuable skills and experience working in organisations across the Visitor Economy, which encompasses the wide range of industries supporting tourism including hotels, restaurants and bars, culture, entertainment and travel. Their trip starts in April 2017 and will include the busy Easter holiday period enabling the students to gain an insight into this dynamic service sector. It won’t all be hard work though as the students will have the weekends off to explore the island and develop their knowledge and understanding of Maltese culture.
This is an excellent opportunity for the students to boost their employment prospects and/or enhance their university UCAS applications. The Visitor Economy is worth £4bn in the Liverpool City Region and it employs 51,000 people, so there are excellent opportunities for Wirral Met students to progress into employment following their studies.
Erasmus+ is the European Union’s (EU) programme for education, training, youth and sport, with the EU committing £12 billion to the programme between 2014 and 2020. In the UK, the programme is managed by the Erasmus+ UK National Agency, a partnership between the British Council and Ecorys UK.
The project is funded under Key Action 1 of the programme. This Key Action supports the mobility of learners and staff through opportunities for them to undertake professional work experience in another country. The Actions supported under this Key Action are expected to bring positive and long-lasting effects on the participants and participating organisations involved.
Michael Norton, Acting Principal of Wirral Met College, said, “We are delighted to have been successful in Erasmus+ and are looking forward to starting the project. This is an excellent opportunity for twenty of our students to benefit from learning abroad, gaining the confidence, skills and experience which they can use to enhance their employment prospects.”
For more information about funding opportunities visit www.erasmusplus.org.uk, or use the hashtag #epluspeople to see what other projects are doing across the UK. Details of the Travel and Tourism courses and this project are also available at wmc.ac.uk.