LOCAL APPRENTICES SHARE THEIR KNOWLEDGE WITH EUROPEAN NEIGHBOURS July 2009

It was a summer holiday with a difference for six lucky German engineering students who spent three weeks in Blackburn recently to learn about Engineering Apprenticeships with training provider Training 2000.

Following a successful trip which saw eight English apprentices spend three weeks at the Volkswagen factory at Kassel, central Germany, six German apprentices visited England to spend three weeks gaining experience of working in the UK engineering industry.

The first week of the exchange was spent in the Engineering Centre at Lancashire, Training 2000, which allowed the students to gain an insight into the UK Apprenticeship programme. The apprentices also spent a week at a number of Training 2000 member companies including Fort Vale Engineering, Unison Engine Components, Optare and Castle Cement. The final week saw a combination of further work at Training 2000 within the Industrial Process Control centre coupled with industrial visits to sites which included Rolls-Royce in Barnoldswick.

The programme, which is funded by the British Council, allowed the German apprentices to gain an understanding of the UK Apprenticeship programme and the local culture and education system.

The German students spent their free time learning about the UK by visiting North West tourist destinations such as Manchester’s Theatre of Dreams, Old Trafford, Blackpool Tower and Blackburn’s Ewood Park.

Neil Burrows, Engineering Centre Manager at Training 2000, comments: “The exchange programme works really well. It gives both the German and UK apprentices the opportunity to learn about other cultures and education systems.

“The exchange also encourages the apprentices to mature as they are working and living in a foreign country, which is valuable when they return to work and training. It was a pleasure having the German students with us, and glad we can offer such a beneficial experience to them. We hope they enjoyed the exchange as much as the UK apprentices did.”

One of the UK learners who spent time in Germany, Aime Proud, an apprentice at Rolls Royce, says: “I am really thankful for the opportunity to have visited Germany and learn about their education system and Apprenticeship programmes. It has really helped me to understand how important the training we receive is. The trip has really helped me in my approach to my future learning.”

LOCAL APPRENTICES SHARE THEIR KNOWLEDGE WITH EUROPEAN NEIGHBOURS July 2009

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