Urban&Civic welcomes Erasmus students to Alconbury Weald

This month Urban&Civic welcomed a group of European exchange students who were visiting Cambridge Regional College as part of an Erasmus project to Alconbury Weald to learn about working life and to explore the variety of different career opportunities that exist within the region.

The twelve students, from Italy, Finland and the Czech Republic, were visiting the college via the Erasmus programme, which is focusing on how students are supported to engage and prepare for apprenticeships and supported internships. The project is a European-wide project and is called Next Steps.

The college had arranged for the students to visit Alconbury Weald to see its growing business community. During the week they attended programmes conducted by Urban&Civic (the overall master planner for Alconbury Weald), including a tour of both the historic areas of the former Cold War airfield, and the new homes, school, play areas and businesses.

David Lock Associates gave the students an insight into the planning and technical process behind bringing forward a new community, while tours of the new MMUK facility and the DHL logistics operation gave an insight into industries in the Campus.

The iMET Skills Centre provided the perfect base for the activities, offering tours of the innovation hub, and displays of the latest 3D printers and mechatronics equipment.

The programmes were conducted at the Enterprise Campus, Alconbury Weald’s thriving commercial hub. These courses complemented a series of events held at the college designed to help the students overcome language barriers.

Discussing the week, Rebecca Britton, Head of Communities and Partnerships at Urban&Civic, said:

“We were delighted to work closely with Cambridge Regional College on this fantastic initiative and to welcome the students to our vibrant Enterprise Campus. We hope that the different courses gave them a great overview of various career opportunities and helped to sharpen their language skills too.”

Sarah Fielding, Employer Placement Team Leader at Cambridge Regional College, added:

“Alconbury Weald provided the perfect location to inspire our Erasmus students and staff during their visit to the UK. Students were motivated by their experiences and it was rewarding to see their English Language skills increase and their careers aspirations grow.” Prime Minister Theresa May recently confirmed that the United Kingdom will maintain its involvement with the Erasmus programme following Brexit, until at least the end of 2020. The exchange programme currently has over 4,000 participating educational institutions in nearly 40 countries.