IW College win award for Internationalism

By IW Observer.co.uk May 17, 2022
Staff and students on Erasmus trip to Malta

The Isle of Wight College has won an award for internationalism at the Association of Colleges’ annual beacon awards ceremony held in London. The college also won runner-up in the ‘Widening Participation’ category.

The British Council award for internationalism recognises, celebrates and promotes the value of international exchange and the college values the positive impact that international travel has on young people and how their experiences enhance their aspirations, confidence and opportunities for the future. A particular focus of the award was the recent Erasmus+ project, ‘Mind over Matter’, which encouraged international collaboration, with a strong focus on mental health. This included online workshops over the lockdowns with the college’s Finnish partner, which helped students stay in touch with other countries while unable to travel.

Debbie Lavin, college principal, said: “We are over the moon to have won this award. During lockdown we continued to work with our international partners, to give students a taste of other cultures as best we could, including collaborative projects and virtual events. The college’s international team has worked relentlessly to ensure our students have a positive experience, and the commitment and enthusiasm of the staff is a direct reflection of the spirit of the Isle of Wight College.

“We strive to integrate international studies and travel into every curriculum to encourage skills development, build confidence and instil ambition in our learners and it is an honour to be recognised nationally for this.”