Lincoln College has been awarded almost £100,000 to help students improve their chances of finding a job in the UK and abroad.

The majority of the money (£73,500) has come from the European Commission’s Erasmus+ programme which provides opportunities for students and young people to study, train, gain work experience and volunteer abroad.

Every year the college applies for funding to pay for up to 28 Level 3 students and apprentices from its Lincoln, Gainsborough and Newark campuses to spend three weeks on a work experience placement in Germany or the Netherlands.

Lincoln College’s European Officer Ann Stanley said the college has established long-standing relationships with partners in both countries.

“Over 200 students from Lincoln College have taken part in the programme since 1998 and we’re delighted to be able to continue running the scheme. Not only do the young people get to work in a different country, which could help them find a job in the future, but they also have to attend language classes and keep a diary during their stay.

“The programme isn’t just about work experience, however; it also teaches them life skills as they have to arrange their own transport and do their own cooking and washing. In some cases this is their first trip abroad without their parents so it can be quite a steep learning curve.”

As part of the reciprocal arrangement students from Germany and the Netherlands visit the UK and work with local employers.

In October seven apprentices came over from Germany and undertook work placements at Arron Services Plumbing, AJ Engineering, Lindum Plant and with the stone masons and carpenters at Lincoln Cathedral.

In addition to the money from Erasmus+ the college was also awarded £25,000 by the Comenius Programme which is run by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency. This is also European money and is administered by The British Council.

As part of this students from Lincoln are working on a two-year international entrepreneurship project alongside students from Germany, Sicily and the Netherlands while students in Newark are taking part in a guitar-making project with their counterparts in Belgium.

Ann added: “The Erasmus+ and Comenius Programmes offer the students fantastic opportunities and are really beneficial for the young people in the UK and abroad. We’re very proud of the partnerships we’ve built up over the years and hope they will continue for many years to come.”

Ends

About Lincoln College:

• Lincoln College is the largest educational institution in the county with 10,000 students across three campuses in Lincoln, Gainsborough and Newark.
• It is the largest provider of business training and skills in Lincolnshire providing training for around 1,200 businesses in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.
• The college is rated Outstanding by Ofsted and has a wide range of full, part-time and short courses for students aged 16 and above, including university-level courses.

About The Lincoln College Group:
• Founded upon a concept of ‘synergy’, The Lincoln College Group comprises a number of like-minded organisations with a shared purpose of providing exceptional education, training and related services to their students.
• Currently providing secondary, further and higher education, the Group includes Lincoln College (with its campuses in Lincoln, Newark and Gainsborough and operations in China) and two secondary school academies: The Newark Academy and The Gainsborough Academy. It also encompasses Deans Sport and Leisure, a commercial sports centre based in Lincoln City Centre.
• Lincoln College International, a project to develop and run three Colleges in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the latest addition to the Group.
• The Lincoln College Group is also the lead sponsor of the Lincoln UTC which opened in September 2014.

For further information about this release please contact:
Kate Strawson
Director, Shooting Star PR
kate@weareshootingstar.co.uk
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07733 230293
@KateStrawson