In April 2022, 24 of our students travelled to three locations – Salerno – Italy, Palma – Majorca and Torreo Pacheo – Spain as part of their participation in the European Union Erasmus+ Programme.
The 24 students who are studying a variety of courses here in the college, undertook 3 weeks work placements in settings to include Art Galleries, IT companies, Cosmetic Clinics, Travel Agency, and Sport Centres.
Being part of the Italian and Spanish cultures is a key aspect of the programme with some students living with host families. As well as taking part in the work placement, participants also had the opportunity to enjoy leisure activities including site seeing trips to Capri and Rome in Italy while in Spain students visited the port city of Cartagena and boarded a boat to view the city from the water.
The Erasmus+ programme aims to promote the learning mobility of individuals by allowing them to experience work placements in a European country, many of which might not be available to students in Ireland. It also aims to allow individuals to develop their cultural awareness, independence, language skills and ability to integrate into different societies.
Katie, an Art student, who travelled to Italy sums up her experience by saying “the most important for me was stepping out of my comfort zone and travelling with ten new people I have never met before. I learned lots about living with different people and I have made some really great friends”
