TANZANIA: British Students Will Work At Home For The Elderly

Students put Africa visits to practical use Bristol, U.K. (The Times), January 11, 2008: Further education students will soon begin taking their skills to Africa in a new scheme to offer gap year-style opportunities. Eight colleges have signed up to Fair Trade in Skills, an initiative designed to build partnerships between UK colleges and Tanzania. The first group from City of Bristol College will fly to Tanzania this summer to work at a home for the elderly. Boston College in Lincolnshire is considering a trip next year, sending a group to build a school dormitory. The scheme will give students the chance to practise skills and broaden their experience, while creating opportunities for FE staff to coach and mentor Tanzanian teachers and managers. It also aims to develop fundraising in colleges to contribute computers, books and other resources for the country’s schools and vocational colleges. The idea of Fair Trade in Skills began to form three years ago after a visit to the Morogoro district in Tanzania by Ken Spours of London University’s Institute of Education, who was shocked by the poverty. A range of national FE bodies have become involved, including the Association for College Management, the Association of Colleges, the University and College Union, Unison, Lifelong Learning UK and the Centre for Excellence in Leadership. By Martin Whittaker © 2007 TSL Education Ltd.