The project was well received by the participating employers, John Paterson, Store Manager for Dobbies Braehead who had two students, Rasmus & Oliver on placement in store said:
Myself and the team at Dobbies have enjoyed having Oliver & Rasmus with us over the past 3 weeks. They have been a credit to themselves and would be welcome back to the store anytime.
He continued, “I hope the experience has been beneficial for them, they will be a hard act to follow for the next students who join us on placement in the future. We Wish both boys all the best for their future studies.”
The students were also all really positive about their experience in Scotland. Anne-Mette Hansen, 17 said of her work placement:
I have learned a lot about working in retail, and a greater understanding of your responsibilities as an employee, both towards the customers but also towards your co-workers. I have become more certain that pursuing a career within retail would be the right thing for me. I have learned to be less shy and more outgoing, not to be afraid of just jumping in to something new. The people in Glasgow are very open, kind and willing to help.
Mads Schalech Brandhøj, 18 commented on the variance in culture saying, “It was very interesting to experience the differences between Denmark and Scotland in the work processes.
The students were with us for 3 weeks and also managed to fit in some sightseeing days to Glasgow and Edinburgh as well as their placements. Linda Tomakjan, 18, highlighted how the exchange has helped her language skill, “My English has improved a lot and I have a lot more confidence when speaking a foreign language. Glasgow was a great place, people were so nice and helpful. Oliver Stoltz, 18 agreed but commented on the differences with the Scottish dialect! “My language skills have improved a great deal. I am convinced that if you are pretty good at English you can understand the Scottish way of speaking English!”
On the Erasmus project in general, Daniel Lohmann, 16:
It is a great program, which really makes a difference. I have had a great experience and learned a lot about another country and improved my English skills. On a personal level I have grown. I have become much more independent and feel more prepared to move out from my parents and live on my own I can only encourage more students to apply. It will be an advantage to write this on my resume. It will help my chances of getting a good job
Janne Vestergaard, Lecturer at Business College Syd said of the project, “International work placement is such a great opportunity for the students. It is a great experience for them to see another country, improve their language skills. It is fun to hear their surprise, when they find there are actually quite a lot of differences in the way things are done in Scotland compared to Denmark even though we are not that far apart geographically.” She continued:
The best part is to see the extent of their improvement on a personal level. This experience gives them a boost of confidence and courage which stays with them and which I am certain will help them when they face challenges in the future. We are very thankful for the successful cooperation with West College Scotland and for the opportunity this cooperation provides for our students.
We are also lucky enough to have a group of 15 students participate in an educational overseas trip. A group of 8 students, from Professional Cookery & Computing faculties have travelled to Aarhus Tech in Aarhus, Denmark and 7 of our students from Construction, Science & Travel and Tourism faculties are taking up placements with VAMIA school in Vaasa, Finland. Watch this space for updates on how they got on!
