Posted: 23/02/2022
In 2022 three groups of students from DN Colleges group will be embarking on a journey of a lifetime, taking on work experience like no other. These trips are fully funded by the Turing Scheme, a brilliant UK scheme that enables students to develop new skills, gain international experience and boost their employability.
With a collaborative effort between the DN Colleges Group International team and the talented people at Caribbean Elective the three trips have been planned and packed full of exciting experiences and fantastic charity efforts. Caribbean Elective are a company focused on life-changing experiences, that aims to give students the opportunity to experience the real day-to-day of Caribbean communities and inspire young people to change their outlook on life. Co-founder of Caribbean Elective, Harry Spear, commented “These three projects not only represent a life changing opportunity for students from DN Colleges group. They also give those students a very special opportunity to make a real difference in developing communities in the Caribbean. The confidence they build and the moments they’ll share with local people will hopefully stay with them long into the future. It’s a credit to the Turing Scheme that projects this ambitious can take place”
In March of this year, our Animal Care students will take part in volunteer and conservation work, involving a whole range of exciting tasks. They will be working at the Saint Lucia Animal Protection Society giving care to animals and learning about the unique challenges facing animals in the Caribbean, including rehoming and stray animals. Following this, the students will focus on conservation, working to protect known marine turtle nesting sites, snorkelling to assess and record the condition of coral reefs, learning about rare species found in Saint Lucia, and visiting protected areas of outstanding natural beauty of particular significance to preserving the ecosystem and environment of Saint Lucia.
Following this trip, our Sport and Public Services students will be jetting off to spend time learning from experts in the region; spending time with the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force, at the new Saint Lucia Sports Academy, and running their own coaching sessions for local young people. Along the way, they will work with internationally renowned sports physiotherapists and nutritionists, and even visit the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground which regularly hosts international cricket matches including world cups and England tours.
The final Caribbean trip of 2022 will see our Health & Social Care students working with the amazing charity Raise Your Voice Saint Lucia, learning about the unique challenges faced in Health & Social Care in Saint Lucia. Students will be learning about poverty in certain areas, meeting local volunteers, and meeting victims of domestic violence to help with counselling and mental health support. Our students will learn how Raise Your voice helps victims get justice against their abusers through legal aid support. It is set to be an eye-opening experience.
Liam Marsh, an International Placement Supervisor at DN Colleges Group, said “We are extremely pleased to have secured funding for the 2021/22 Turing Scheme programme. The Turing Scheme is the UK government’s global programme to study and work abroad, providing funding for international opportunities in education and training across the world. This means that we can offer our students access to genuinely life-changing opportunities across the globe! Working alongside our partners, the Caribbean Elective, we are delighted that in March 2022 we will have a total of 20 students and 5 staff from Sports/Public Services & Animal Care travelling to Saint Lucia for 16 days to take part in a once in a lifetime work placement.”
You can learn more about Caribbean Elective on their website, here https://caribbeanelective.com/