South Korea: Student placement success
South Korea: In 2016, following a successful visit to Burton and South Derbyshire College (BSDC) from representatives of the Korean Ministry of Education, BSDC was selected to take part in the Korean Global Practical Training Programme.
This programme sends Korean students every spring and autumn across the world to undertake a four-month placement in which to gain practical employability skills towards their major degree.
These learners visit BSDC and study a combined programme of 8 weeks of English langauge classes and 8 weeks of practicum in their major curriculum areas.
Burton and South Derbyshire College (BSDC) is proud to have extensive partnerships with a range of leading organisations. With joint projects and a collaborative approach, learners are able to benefit from its partnerships first-hand through an industry-led curriculum and state of the art facilities, access to key industry contacts and the opportunity to work on live briefs for real companies.
BSDC are always investing in state of the art facilities to equip its students for the world of work. Higher Education learners have their own University Centre, vocational learners enjoy learning in real world specialist facilities, and what could prepare our learners better for a career in catering or hair and beauty than learning in our buzzing commercial restaurant and salon?
BSDC was selected to take part in the Korean Global Practical Training Programme.
This programme sends Korean students every spring and autumn across the world to undertake a four-month placement in which to gain practical employability skills towards their major degree. These learners visit BSDC and study a combined programme of 8 weeks of English classes and 8 weeks of practicum in their major curriculum areas.
UK visa requirements relating to work experience present ongoing challenges for this programme. Student are free to choose from a variety of countries that participate in this programme. BSDC provides a practical element to the programme.
To date BSDC has welcomed nearly 50 GPTP learners to join its classes within 7 curriculum areas; Childcare, Product Design, Hospitality & Catering, Hair, Beauty and Media Make Up.
This brings them into contact with home learners who are also undertaking practical elements of their courses in the BSDC commercial nursery, Innovations Hair and Beauty Salon, Mulberry Bistro and Restaurant and Hardy Signs Print Academy.
The learners also interact with college staff in these areas and service users from the public, such as children who attend the nursery and external visitors to the Salon and Bistro.
There is a focus on sharing good practice between the international and home learners and many opportunities for each group to learn more about the respective global culture.
There are frequent opportunities for the learners to join enrichment activities and complete live briefs as part of their practical element.
For example, Hair & Media Make Up learners have designed and completed make-up looks for local attractions such as Screamfest during Halloween, and Hospitality and Catering learners making significant contribution towards (and participating in) themed nights at BSDC’s state of the art Mulberry restaurant.
BSDC continues to works closely with the Korean Council for University and College Education (KCCE) in order to jointly develop the programme and has welcomed annual delegations from KCCE staff, including the Secretary General and the Educational Research Institute Director, who visited BSDC in 2018 in order to further understand the role of vocational skills in UK education and the BSDC Skills Promise.
In September 2020 BSDC were invited to respond to KCCE about the possibility of moving the GPTP online due to the cessation of global travel throughout the pandemic.
BSDC were asked to influence the potential operation of such a programme such as the use of virtual reality, project-based learning, simulation etc. and discussions are ongoing regarding the delivery of the virtual GPTP programme in 2021.
