Borders College students head to Toronto thanks to Turing Scheme

The scheme, named after code breaker and mathematician Alan Turing, is the UK government's scheme to provide funding for international opportunities in education and training across the world.

Replacing the old Erasmus+, it provided an opportunity for UK organisations from the higher education, further education, vocational education and training and schools sectors to offer their students, learners and pupils life-changing experiences to study or work abroad.

The scheme will provide £110m in funding for 35,000 students from schools, colleges and universities across the UK to go on placements abroad between September 2021 and August 2022, with additional support for students from more disadvantaged backgrounds.

In April, Borders College applied to the scheme to enable students in hospitality to undertake a two-week placement with Centennial College in Toronto.

Centennial College is a large community college with several campuses across the city and a well-established international programme.

A multi-cultural college, it offers many similar programmes to Borders College, including sustainable construction, hospitality, child care, creative industries and social care.

Katharine Mathison, director of enterprise and business innovation at Borders College, said: “The scheme will enable a collaborative partnership to develop with Centennial College in Canada and support some of our hospitality students to travel abroad, take part in lectures and learn more about different cultures, exchange ideas and promote global citizenship."

The international placement aims to provide students with the opportunity to engage in basic foreign language competencies relevant to each placement.

Katharine added: “This programme will support students from all backgrounds and academic levels to improve their employability skills, build their confidence and understand ethnic diversity and the challenges faced by indigenous populations in North America.”