The Turing Scheme is the UK government’s global programme to study and work abroad.

To meet our aims as a global education and training programme, Turing Scheme funded projects must focus on four main objectives.

• Global Britain: In line with the‚ÄØUK Government’s‚ÄØvision of a Global Britain, Turing Scheme projects‚ÄØsupport‚ÄØhigh-quality‚ÄØplacements,‚ÄØenhance‚ÄØexisting partnerships and‚ÄØencourage‚ÄØthe forging of new relationships across the world.
• Levelling up: Turing Scheme projects widen participation and support social mobility across the UK. They should‚ÄØhelp and promote equal access and opportunities to all students, learners and pupils regardless of background.
• Developing key skills: These projects offer unique,‚ÄØcareer-building opportunities. They‚ÄØgive‚ÄØparticipants the hard and soft skills sought by employers, and bridge the gap between education and work.
• Value for UK taxpayers: These projects optimise social value in terms of potential costs, benefits and risks.

For the 2023-24 academic year, Bridgwater and Taunton College was awarded funding to support students to take up international opportunities across 8 mobility projects.

Educational Objectives

• To provide students with the best learning opportunities possible and maximise the BTC Advantage. The BTC Advantage is a College-wide initiative designed to support students’ personal, professional, and academic development, and is embedded in every course. There are seven main goals for students to aim towards higher aspirations, increased confidence, more effective learning, better communication, a more community-minded approach, feeling safer, happier, healthier, and being more knowledgeable as the result of their time at the college. These have been identified as key factors in ensuring young people thrive in education, the workplace, and wider society.

• To widen participation in international activities and level up students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

• To enable students to experience a different culture and visit key cultural attractions.

• To enable students to develop their communication skills, especially if they need to learn/practice another language with native speakers.

Florence, Italy

Sports students were hosted at International School of Florence to deliver coaching sessions and encourage healthy living for junior school students.

This trip has shaped me to be a better coach and see the opportunities that I could possibly look to get into in the future.

This mobility opportunity has given me more of an insight to working in a school, grown my confidence and given me aspirations for the future.

Mississippi, USA

Staff and students partnered with Hinds Community College, Mississippi. Tours and numerous industry visits meant that they gained an insight into commercial manufacturing processes.

The participants in the trip to Hinds Community College in Mississippi have achieved the following learning outcomes:

• Increased knowledge about the programs and resources offered by community colleges.
• Improved understanding of the benefits of higher education and the pathways to achieving their educational goals.
• Enhanced communication and networking skills through interactions with faculty, staff, and students.
• Expanded cultural awareness and appreciation for diversity within the college community.
• Increased confidence in their ability to navigate and succeed in a college environment.

These outcomes were assessed and recognised through various methods, such as written reflections and journals, post-trip discussions, presentations, surveys, questionnaires, and certificates of participation. Additionally, feedback from participants and their peers, as well as observations of their behaviour and engagement during the trip, provided valuable insights into the impact of the experience on their learning and personal development.

This experience gave me an idea of how a foreign college works compared to BTC and the different cultures involved.

I became more confident in talking to strangers – those in industry or college and asking them things as well as having conversations with them.

Bilbao, Spain

Students had the opportunity to partner with students at Centro San Viator to prepare and cook meals with students with similar levels of need. As this was the first mobility project that Foundation Learning had engaged with, we ensured that mobility leads had regular and consistent communication with students, parents and caregivers. We created travel packs, pen portraits for our host partner/organisation and needed to prep an itinerary earlier than other mobilities to meet the needs of our students.

The project was focused on the Foundation Learning department at BTC which is made up of those with SEND, SEMH or from lower socio-economic backgrounds. This meant that all participants would have a level of need. The focus was to be able to give these young people an opportunity to travel that they would not gain in their own lives until able to work and support themselves. Two of the participants had never flown on a plane before. While in Spain the learners slowly were given less and less support and increased independence which ensured progress and confidence grew.

In terms of technical skills development, our learners improved their culinary knowledge during their time on ability and were keen to showcase this to staff members when they returned to college. They prepared for and provided a Bilbao inspired menu served at the in-house restaurant at Bridgwater College.

This was a fantastic opportunity for our learners to put their skill and knowledge into practice whilst also sharing highlights from their time on mobility. Jon Harding, TLA Project & Development Manager, presented certificates of attendance on behalf of our International team and our hosting partner at Centro San Viator.

I feel more confident in myself and being abroad, I am more able to manage myself independently and take care of my own wellbeing.

I think this experience has benefitted me and has allowed me to view academic and personal options that I would not have been able to do otherwise.

Hanoi, Vietnam

T Level Health learners spent a fortnight in Hanoi, volunteering at the Friendship Village Complex. They supported residents who have disabilities to give them knowledge of special education, childcare, teaching, physical therapy and medical fields.

Students benefitted enormously from this mobility and learnt a great deal about their chosen area of work, themselves as a person and independent travel. All the students embraced a sense of social responsibility and personal activism as well as the desire to learn about a new country/culture.

This experience has helped me to understand more of the world. It has helped me to learn about a different culture and has opened up interest into working abroad.

I have definitely become more confident; I have a new found sense of independence and realising I can do intimidating things even when it’s hard.

Norway

Students worked alongside their Norwegian peers and participated in community regeneration projects, gaining an insight into the cultural and contextual positioning of both their own and their Norwegian peer’s creative work. The experience formed an integral part of the research and development of their Final Major Projects, as they synthesised elements experienced during the trip, within their own personal practice.

It has highlighted the differences in cultures and what it’s like being away from home and how that made me feel.

It’s helped my confidence in taking to new people a lot and I find it easier to talk to new people now.

South Africa

Students participated in a two week mobility from Gqeberha, South Africa, where they volunteered for the ‘United Through Sport’ charity. The charity looks to educate and inspire children within the deprived township areas.

The students coached hockey, rugby, netball and football in six different primary schools across the townships of New Brighton, Zwide and the Northern Territory. The students were further challenged out of their comfort zones as they delivered maths and English lessons, and an alcohol awareness session within the classrooms.

Towards the end of the mobility, the students organised and ran a multisport tournament where over 240 children from the schools took part in. Students and staff fundraised prior to leaving the UK, to provide trophies and lunches for the children and were able to fund new goals to donate to United Through Sport.

The Mobility Lead for the trip commented,

It’s a pleasure to be able to continue our working partnership with United Through Sport. The mobility was a huge success where our learners have come back humbled, appreciating what they have in the UK after spending two weeks in the townships. They have been able to see the world in a completely different light, enabling them to reflect and experience a culture change that has brought so much value to them. The emotions experienced on the township tour on day 1 inspired the students to plan the most engaging and fun sport and classroom sessions possible. They all took so much pride in their volunteering, wanting to make the most positive and meaningful impact they could in the community. It was fantastic to see and be a part of, and I feel every student fully utilised the opportunity.

Barcelona, Spain

Staff and students across Level 3 programmes spent time at multiple schools, colleges and a university in Barcelona. Students participated in lessons and volunteered at a primary school.

Barcelona was the destination of choice due to its rich cultural, historical, and educational offerings. Barcelona is renowned for its unique blend of Gothic and modernist architecture, exemplified by landmarks such as the Sagrada Familia and Park Güell, which provide immersive learning experiences in art and architectural history. The city is a vibrant hub of Catalan culture, offering students the opportunity to explore local traditions, cuisine, and festivals, enhancing their cultural awareness and appreciation.

Additionally, Barcelona’s diverse linguistic environment is ideal for improving Spanish language skills through real-world practice. This mobility project aligned with BTC’s educational goals of fostering independence, global awareness, and experiential learning among students.

Associate Lecturer commented,

It was truly gratifying to witness the active engagement of students in every single activity and their commendable efforts to utilize the Spanish language. I firmly believe that this experience fostered an open-minded approach, enabling students to expand their knowledge of the world. It was particularly impressive to hear students express how the trip significantly heightened their inclination to learn new languages, explore different cultures, and contemplate opportunities for studying or residing abroad.

In addition to the language immersion, our itinerary included numerous cultural activities, such as visits to the Picasso Museum, Parc Well, Miro Foundation, and the Catalonia History Museum. During these excursions, some students demonstrated their depth of understanding by discussing topics related to the Spanish Civil War and dictatorship. This further emphasized the educational value of the trip and the students’ commitment to acquiring a nuanced understanding of historical and cultural contexts.

I have become a much better communicator and I know that I am able to hold conversations with people that aren’t fluent in English through other means such as signing.

Finland

HE students spent time on placement visiting nurseries and local pre-schools. Their host organisation was at Axxell College, Finland who BTC have a pre-existing relationship with.

For this HE mobility project, participants achieved several key learning outcomes, including cultural immersion, enhanced language skills, historical knowledge, and teamwork. They gained a deeper understanding of the culture and history of Finland, where the host organisation was based. Finland was the chosen destination for this mobility project due to the established link with Axxell College and the proven success of previous partnerships with them. The students benefitted positively from both a cultural and academic perspective.

The students, who are studying Early Childhood, felt that the project enabled them to reflect upon how they have applied their learning to their UK based practice. Students self report that they now feel more confident in exploring cultures and the social construction of societal norms.

Language skills improved through daily interactions, helping with them with their communication skills and making them more community minded. Students also developed teamwork and problem-solving abilities by navigating activities and challenges together. Learning outcomes were assessed by logging activity through a Daily Reflections teams form whilst on mobility. Reflective journals allowed students to articulate their cultural experiences and personal growth.

It’s made me a lot more confident with talking to non-English or EAL children / adults. it has also helped me to have confidence to travel in the future and to experience more education systems and cultures.

I now better understand a different curriculum and seen first hand how this is implemented.

Los Angeles, USA

Students from Level 3 Diploma in Art and Design, Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, Foundation Degree in Creative Fashion & Textiles and Foundation Degree in Media Make- up stayed in a large house together in Westchester, LA and attended a variety of sessions at nearby Otis College of Art and Design, including Creation Action, radio/podcast development, Contextual Studies, Environmental studies, Printmaking and graphic design.

Students were able to work with Otis College students with new ideas and materials and participated in events such as fashion shows and creative industries internship showcases. While in LA, they were also able to attend an Oscars nominee event for Make-up artists, the factory of the world’s leading Make-up manufacturer Ben Nye, the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (including garment construction and make-up prosthetics workshops) where they got to see the Oscar nominated costumes for 2024 and how they are made, film making and the implementation of AI and virtual production techniques using ground breaking techniques used in Disney’s The Mandalorian.

They visited Warner Bros studios, the Getty Centre, did street art grafitti tours, visited artist studios all while working on specific creative projects that formed part of the selection process and which they finished back in the UK, full of ideas and inspiration.

One student is exploring opportunities for internships at Victoria’s Secret, one student has developed links for industrial updating courses at MUD (Make-up Designory – the feeder college for Hollywood make-up Artists) and one student joined camp America to further develop her confidence and career path this Summer and hopes to visit LA again this summer to show her new friends around!

Participating in this trip positively impacted my confidence to travel and go to another country. This simultaneously increased my aspirations as I can now consider what it would be like if I was able to move/study abroad.

The trip was a huge energy boost artistically and personally. I definitely have higher aspirations both for my immediate future as well as my long-term career.

Reflection

International opportunities are a great way for our students to develop and broaden their skillset during education. The students effectively put their technical skills into practice so they could develop and demonstrate what they have been learning on their course. As the students were immersed into a different culture, they developed new perspectives of environments and fostered a more global mindset. They engaged with students whose first language may not be English which allowed them to develop patience, clarity and sharpen their cross-cultural communication skills.

Not only have the students learnt about their occupational specialisms, they have also developed essential skills that support their BTC advantage programme.

At the end of each mobility students were presented with a Certificate of Attendance, signed by the host partner organisation and our internal project manager at BTC.

Want to find out more about international projects/partnerships? Contact us by emailing either Jon Harding (hardingj@btc.ac.uk) or Anna Coleman (colemana@btc.ac.uk).