Wales and Europe learn together

ColegauCymru / CollegesWales has been hosting a very successful work placement for a business administration student from Mallorca over the last four weeks whilst at the same time it is helping apprentices across Wales to prepare for their work placements in Spain next year.

Since launching its international arm, CollegesWales (UK) International, ColegauCymru has been supporting employers in Wales to place students from Spain in workplaces here.  Engineering companies have so far provided most of the work placements in Wales.  This time, however, with Andrea Cantarellas Martorell, who is studying for an advanced management qualification in business administration at Nuestra Señora de Montesión College in Mallorca, it was ColegauCymru itself that hosted the placement.

During the four week placement, Andrea undertook a wide range of administration duties, markedly expanding the capacity of ColegauCymru’s small team of staff, whilst also having the opportunity to put her knowledge into practice, develop new skills and improve her English. 

Andrea Cantarellas Martorell said: “The work placement with ColegauCymru has been the best work experience I have had to date. My administration skills as well as my English have improved tremendously. ColegauCymru is a small office but the variety of work it undertakes provided me with a wide range of opportunity to practice and improve my skills.  I was also fortunate to be able to stay with a host family and I have benefited from a very warm welcome to Wales.”

International Coordinator at ColegauCymru / CollegesWales, Siân Holleran, Andrea’s mentor during her stay, said: “Throughout her four week placement, Andrea proved an undoubted asset to ColegauCymru. She worked effectively with the whole staff team and undertook a wide variety of work – always with a smile.  She is proof that vocational careers are portable and that technical and soft skills plus experience of other cultures and a grasp of another language make for an unbeatable combination and I wish her the very best in developing her career.”

ColegauCymru is keen to ensure that apprentices from Wales have similar opportunities to broaden their horizons and find their place in the global economy. It is currently preparing a number of apprentices to take up work placements in Spain next spring.

Sian Holleran continued: “I am looking forward to developing more international work placements and helping ambitious college students and apprentices who have set their sights on a vocational career path to find their place in the global economy.”

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Contact: Sylvia Davies on 029 2052 8384 or 07968 771913.

Notes to editors:

1. ColegauCymru / CollegesWales was previously known as fforwm. It is a national educational charity that represents all 20 further education (FE) colleges and institutions in Wales. Its mission is to raise the profile of further education with key decision-makers to improve opportunities for learners in Wales. For further information about ColegauCymru / CollegesWales, and the colleges it represents, visit www.colegaucymru.ac.uk or www.collegeswales.ac.uk
2. CollegesWales International is the international arm of ColegauCymru / CollegesWales.
3. The European work placement programme organised by CollegesWales International is funded by the Leonardo Programme - part of the European Union’s Lifelong Learning Programme http://www.leonardo.org.uk/