A group of aspiring teaching students from South Wales have been offered the chance to pursue their dream careers working with children in Italy following a work placement on the outskirts of Venice.
Four learners from Coleg y Cymoedd swapped the South Wales Valleys for the Mediterranean sunshine after spending a fortnight working abroad as part of a trip arranged by their tutors.
Katie Price, 20, Caitlan Billingham, 19, Abbie Fox, 19, and Wai Wai Chia, 37, spent two weeks working at a nursery and primary school in the North Italian town of Castelfranco Veneto, just 25 miles from Venice.
The second-year students are all studying for a children’s care diploma at the college’s Ystrad Mynach campus.
Katie, from Maesycwmmer, was one of the learners who took part in the trip, organised through the Erasmus+ EU funding programme.
Managers at the nursery were so impressed with her,that she has been invited back for another placement.
Katie, who is set to study primary education at Brighton University in September, hopes to take a year out from the course to return to Castelfranco.
She said: “Working in Italy was an absolutely amazing experience that I will never forget. Seeing how another country educates its children compared to the UK was very useful and interesting, giving me an insight into how I can improve certain areas of teaching.
“It’s opened up my eyes to alternative ways to engage children and help with their academic and social development. I have learnt a lot on the trip that I will definitely take back to the classroom with me when I qualify as a teacher.
“Everyone was so welcoming and I built some great relationships with both staff and children while I was out there. I didn’t want to leave and am really going to miss everyone. I was so happy when the school invited me for another placement and cannot wait to return.”