Exotic animals were just one of the highlights for two Portuguese students on work experience in Cornwall.
Duchy College, in collaboration with Launceston College, hosted the pair along with their teacher from an Erasmus partner school in Portugal.
The students, from Escola Profissional Agricola Cone S. Bento, stayed in Launceston and took part in work experience at Duchy College, where they spent time working with a variety of livestock on the College farm, as well as spending time on the equine yard and small animal unit.
Their project was funded through the Erasmus VET (Vocational Educational Training) programme, where beneficiaries are able to spend a period of time in another participating country gaining valuable experience of life, study and work with the aim of increasing the opportunities available to them in the future.
Ruben Almeida said it “has been a great experience”.
“Travelling to a different country and having the opportunity to try lots of different jobs has been brilliant,” he explained.
“I really liked working with the exotic animals.”
Portuguese teacher, Susana Peixoto, said the students “have learnt a lot from this experience”.
“The opportunity to see what it would be like to live, study and work in the UK opens their options for the future,” she continued.
“I would like to extend our thanks to our hosts Launceston College and our work experience providers Duchy College and Countrywide Farmers for providing such valuable experiences for us all.”
James Coumbe, Farm Manager at Duchy College said the students “fitted in very well at Duchy College, both on the farm where they got stuck in to all the tasks we asked of them, and with our students”.
“As well as providing work experience for them it has opened our student’s eyes to the possibility of studying and working in a different country after college,” he continued.
“It has also been rewarding to work with Launceston College on this project.”
For more information on the range of courses available across The Cornwall College Group visit www.duchy.ac.uk or call 0330 123 2523.
