Sky’s the limit as Travel, Tourism and Aviation students take off to Malta

After almost three years Travel, Tourism and Aviation students from Wirral Met are once more able to undertake international work experience in Malta.

Over the next three weeks, 20 students will spend their time working in customer facing roles in Msida, a beautiful harbour resort near the capital Valetta on the northeast coast of Malta.

The students will be provided with on the job training facilitated by participating organisations including major tourist attractions such as Popeye Village and the Malta National Aquarium, as well as 4- and 5-star luxury hotels Palazzo Violetta Hotel, Valetta Lucente, DB Seabank Resort and the Grand Excelsior Hotel.

They will be on placement five days a week and on free days experience excursions around the island to places like St Paul’s Bay, the Blue Lagoon, Gozo and Comino.

Sue Higginson, Principal of Wirral Met said: “It really great to see our students finally able to explore key areas of their vocational programme that are so vital to developing the skills, knowledge and behaviours they will need for their chosen careers.

“This international work experience will help them boost their employability, setting them ahead of the competition by enabling them to develop practical experience abroad and learn from experts in their field.”

Funding from the UK’s new Turing scheme, and Erasmus+ programme secured last year will provide more than 200 students at Wirral Met with the life-changing opportunity to work and study abroad for free with fully funded placements in European destinations such as Granada, Malta, Seville, Tenerife and Italy.

Other international educational experiences now scheduled include placements in Seville Spain for Art, Design, Creative Media and Music and Uniformed Services students who will be participating in lots of different adventurous activities as well as visiting Gibraltar to delve into military history.

Accounting and Business students will also get the chance to fly to Malta for two weeks. The placement will be closely linked to the skills, knowledge and behaviours that students will need in their future careers. Malta is a leading European financial centre which combines high regulatory standards and rigorous enforcement with a commercial, business savvy attitude.

Lisbon, Portugal is the destination for the College’s Sports students, who will get a fantastic opportunity to train and play with professional football team S.L Benfica FC. Students will be able to work with the youth team coaches and acquire new skills and learn the about the Benfica way and methodology.

Forty Hair and Beauty students will travel to Tenerife for three weeks and will be working in hairdressing and beauty therapy businesses, developing their industry skills and learning basic Spanish.

Meanwhile, Hospitality and Culinary Arts students will perfect the art of Italian cuisine with a trip to Napoli for three weeks. During the stay, students will be based at a restaurant, café, hotel or resort and will learn the wide range of traditional and modern Italian dishes.

Applications are open for study programmes starting September 2022 at Wirral Met College.