Colleges, as delivery partners, created programmes around existing provision so that Brazilian students infilled into classes alongside UK learners.  Additional industry visits were included, as well as English language support. Visits were tourism-themed and included trips as diverse as a tour of the Scottish Highlands, a mini cruise and to local food and drink manufacturers. The range and diversity of the units taken reflected the strength and flexibility of the UK college vocational offer in tourism and hospitality.

Students sampled subjects including air cabin crew, travel agency operations, barista skills and adventure training. They ran college restaurants for an evening, took part in culinary competitions and worked in service at the Queens Anniversary Prize Dinner. The Brazilian students also had a final project to complete before the end of the programme. Colleges were fully engaged in the welfare of the students whilst in the UK and AoC made monitoring visits out to each college to meet the students and staff.

The programme is part of the Brazilian Ministry’s strategy to ensure that its own tourism industry grows rapidly and successfully, by taking best practice from other countries with developed tourism sectors.

Students returning to Brazil all had positive experiences of their time in the UK and will act as ambassadors for the UK’s vocational education system.