A group of 52 students will be connected to different contacts in the UK’s tourism industry during three months of study
Betina Frantz, 18, is in the fourth stage of the Gastronomy course at the Health Sciences Federal University in Porto Alegre, southern Brazil. On 14 November, she left Brazil to travel to the UK, more precisely the campus of the Newcastle College, where she hopes to learn new things in food tourism. “This contact with local culture is very important, especially in a country recognised worldwide as a reference for the quality of services and hospitality,” she said.
The young student is part of a group of 52 Brazilians selected for the Tourism and Hospitality International Qualification Project in the UK. For three months, the students will have contact with subjects related to the tourism industry, looking at topics such as leadership, hospitality, innovation, quality management and marketing.
“The farthest I have ever travelled was to Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil. This is the first time that I’ll have a truly international experience,” said Igor Mourão, 24, a student in the second stage of Tourism in Estácio de Sá University in Rio de Janeiro, who is also based at Newcastle College.
For Laís Gomes, 20, who is studying at Exeter College this is “a great opportunity to learn about another culture and apply the practices in Brazil”. Gomes is currently in the fourth period of Tourism at the University of Brasilia, and plans to work in event management and hospitality.
PARTNERSHIP
This initiative is the result of a partnership between Brazil’s Ministry of Tourism and the Higher Education Personnel Training Coordination (Capes, in Portuguese) with the Association of Colleges in London.
The scholarships, which help with travel, college fees. Each student on the scheme is entitled to up to £400 per month, plus £90 for health insurance and £1000 towards flight expenditure.
Students will visit five colleges across the UK, from Bournemouth and Poole in the south to Exeter in Devon and the northern cities of Newcastle and Sheffield, and Scotland’s hub of international tourism, Edinburgh.
The initiative is also partnered with Fundación Universidad in Spain. More 60 students also travelled to Spain, on 1 December where they are based at three academic institutions: Alicante, Illes Balears and Malaga.
A pilot project by the Ministry of Tourism took place in Portugal last year, with 50 fellows selected to experience the country’s tourism industry and apply this knowledge at home in Brazil.
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