CDN’s Annual Award – Advancing Equality Award Gold Winner – West Lothian College

ISTILE – Improving Skills through International Learning Exchanges is a two year project designed to offer disadvantaged learners the opportunity to study and work in an overseas environment.

At the same time it offers the teaching team the opportunity to research and report about financial deprivation across Europe and offer advice and recommendations around best practice when it comes to supporting young people who face barriers to learning caused by financial deprivation.

In 2015-16, 55 FE students and 14 staff have travelled to 7 overseas destinations in France, Germany, Sweden, Spain and Italy.

Learners who had never been overseas and who lived in the 20% most financially deprived postcodes were prioritised for travel in the application criteria.

Funding was secured through the European Union’s Erasmus Plus programme as the project also meets several of the EUs 2020 objectives for creating equality of opportunity in learning environments.

Staff and learner evaluations of the overseas experience have been overwhelmingly positive. The project has been massively motivational and has contributed to improved PIs in FE subject areas as well as raised aspirations. Some learners have already gone overseas again since their experience as their horizons have been broadened and they now think on an international scale.