Students on Site in Malta Gain Fresh Perspective 

Seven construction students from SERC have returned with a fresh perspective on the industry and new insights into ways of working, after a study and work trip to Malta, fully funded by the Turing Scheme.

The students, studying Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Construction and the Built Environment at SERC’s Bangor, Lisburn and Downpatrick Campuses, stayed outside Buggiba and travelled to various sites around the country for their work experience.   

The students were placed with the Malta Ministry for Public Works and Planning in the capital, Valetta, and got to observe operations and practise surveying skills on site visits to a variety of large projects, including tunnels, road networks, a quarry and the development of a formal public garden.    The students studying at Bangor Campus were Kurtis Roberts (aged 18, from Bangor), Munashe Nonge (18, Bangor), Aimee Hare (18, from Comber) and 17-year-olds Jayden Booth (from Newtownards) and Josh Wignall (Bangor).   

Olivia McCloughlin, who is 18, is from Lisburn and is based at the SERC Lisburn Campus, and 17-year-old Ben Miskelly, from Ballynahinch, is a student at SERC Downpatrick Campus.   

There was also time for leisure activities during the two-week stay, and the visitors enjoyed a water park, a cinema night and opportunities to explore the island and the coastline, as well as trying their hand at archery, and taking a trip to neighbouring Gozo.  

Overseas study trips provide important experiences which support SERC students’ development and learning and offer for many a life-changing experience.  They provide a unique platform to gain a better understanding of other global cultures and work practices. Travelling together, the students have gained and improved skills such as teamwork, leadership, communication, planning and organisation, problem solving, creative thinking, decision making and commercial awareness as well as growing in their individual confidence.   

The Turing Scheme provides funding for students to undertake a study or work placement across the world, contributing to the UK Government’s commitment to a Global Britain, by helping organisations such as SERC to enhance existing international links and forge new relationships. The delivery partner for the Turing Scheme is Capita, working on behalf of the Department for Education.