European College (Instep Groupe)

You can see below a video of one of our Instep Groupe trips to Cardiff:

Instep – LAW: 2010-Present

Instep 2014

The exchange with Instep has been focused around; English language, soft skills, and vocational training. The learners tend to be between the ages of 18-21 and predominantly speak very little English. The learners are from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds and live within an inclusion area of France with high levels of unemployment. We develop their language abilities based on the work placement they are undertaking in the later part of the exchange. We also team build with the learners to help them act within a team before they begin their placement. Prior to arrival in Wales, participants choose a vocational area of interest. We ask participants to choose a vocational area rather than a specific job role. We then find participants an internship that matches their vocational area. We have delivered training in areas ranging from;

  1. Administration
  2. Child Care
  3. Construction
  4. Butchery
  5. Retail
  6. Service
  7. Charity work
  8. E-commerce

In addition to the relevant training, learners undertook a work experience placement specific to their vocation, the learners were provided with  job advice and guidance to prepare them for the placement.  Training involved preparation for a fictional job application; they were prepared for the interview and underwent an interview in English.  The learners were asked questions that you could be expected to answer during a typical interview.  Post training, all learners went on a trip around Cardiff to see some of the many sites of cultural significance.

Pictures of the exchange, cultural visit and team building can be found here.

Instep – LAW: 2013

In our most recent exchange with Instep, our partner expressed an interest in Painting, decorating and construction. To accommodate this, we developed a programme that enabled learners to get first hand experience in this area of work. Learners were from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds and from an inclusion area within France. Learners were supervised and managed by a professional builder with many years of experience across the sector. Learners were given particular projects within a renovation of a disused building and mentored throughout. The students worked on projects ranging from painting and decorating to tiling. They developed vocational skills based on the area of their work, personal skills such as timekeeping and English speaking and listening while undergoing their placement

Pictures of the training and cultural trip can be found here.

Instep – LAW: 2015

Instep 2013

Our most recent exchange is with our partner from Lille, Instep. We have begun an environmental sustainability and green industry exchange that intends to impart some of the ideals of the green ethos and sustainability upon our learners. The main focus of the exchange is to show with real world examples of how green industries can not only have a positive effect on the environment, but be profitable at the same time. Learners will have taught and practical lectures on the subject of sustainability, but also go on trips to local green and sustainable companies to see how green business can be an integral part of any European countries economic policies. This sharing of best practises that the programme will focus on is essential, not only for European countries, but for countries around the world. Few industries can be spread quickly as green industries need to be and these programmes are essential for the environment and future generations.

Our Pinterest page has pictures and feedback from our learners on the programmes that we have run over the past few years, Click here for more information

You could also download our quick PDF presentation for more details on programmes and activities previously done.