Lincoln College gets £100k for work experience programme

Lincoln College students will have help to improve their chances of finding a job both in the UK and abroad after a funding boost of almost £100,000.

Some £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: “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 Stanley 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.”