Merry Christmas

This is the last blog of 2014...

What a year it has been, one of the best summers we have seen here in a long time - some amazing Student Meetings around Torbay, new hosts and workplacements' plus loads more. So here is a quick catch up of the previous 12 months...

We have gained 4 members of our team...Debra, Lisa, Kerry and Laura - WELCOME once again!

We said good bye to Debbie, Sam and Lorenzo - Stay safe and have fun guys.

Our new website is nearly ready and should be live very early in the new year (fingers crossed!)

Our last Student Meeting of the year was held at Applebys in Torquay - a fantastic afternoon and loads of dressing up fun...pictures are here on our Facebook Page - and a Merry Christmas from our students!

We did really well with our student numbers, and finished the year with 947 participants and we already have 400 plus booked for next year...we even have some bookings for 2016!!!!!

Most of all; we have all enjoyed every single day of 2014 and it would seem so have our students! An amazing 97% of them would recommend TTPL, with an average score of 8.9 out of 10 for overall satisfaction - stunning! All due to the exceptional work and effort from our Host Families, our Work Placements and the entire Training Partnership team.

So... Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all of us at TTPL

Feliz Navidad, Joyeux Noël, Bon Nadal, Frohe Weihnachten, Vrolijk Kerstfeest, Buon Natale, Crăciun Fericit, Gleðileg jól 

Merry Christmas!

SEE YOU IN 2015!

Hello from Laura - Welcome

You may recall that we recently began recruiting for a new Admin Assistant for our office, I'm pleased to say that out of all the applicants we had, we found our new member of the TTPL Team...

Season’s Greetings!

Christmas has come early for the Training Partnership with a new addition to the team! My name is Laura and I am fresh out of university where I studied Criminology and Social Policy. In additional to my studies, I was also provided with the opportunity to work with international students. This went on to spark my interest in pursuing a form of employment that involved working with such a diverse collection of individuals whilst also combining my office skills.

As for my interests, I enjoy nothing more than hanging out with my friends, travelling and animals. My most memorable travel destination has to be Australia, where I got to cuddle cute koalas and swim with scary sharks. But nothing was scarier than nearly missing the ferry from Magnetic Island back to Cairns, where myself and two others had to jump down onto a moving ferry with all our bags in order to avoid missing it!

Anyway less about me and more about my first week at the Training Partnership. I have been learning the ropes of the office whilst getting to know my fellow colleagues. Some of the tasks I have been learning include organising and preparing student welcome packs to the all-important task of learning staff tea and coffee preferences. However what is most exciting is some of the upcoming activities I will be participating in such as meeting new faces at the Student Welcome Meetings and getting to know our students better via the weekly activity meetings. 

But most of all I look forward to my future with the Training Partnership and wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Welcome to the team Laura, from all at TTPL 

Launch of the Ice Age Europe Terminals at Kents Cavern

Earlier this week Jayne and Ian went to Kents Cavern to take part in the launch of the Ice Age Europe project. Jayne was invited to perform the official opening buy cutting the ribbon with a flint hand axe...a first surely!

At the same time, via the live-chat feature, there was an interaction with the terminal at the Neanderthal Museum in Dusseldorf by Dr. Angelica Schwall-Düren, Minister for Federal Affairs, Europe and Media of North Rhine.

The project is a new trans-European interactive Ice Age educational game, controlled by a touch screen and connected via the web to famous European prehistoric sites. The game takes young people on a journey to compare Europe today to Ice Age Europe with no frontiers. The system has a live chat feature and an online photo-postcard to connect visitors at these important prehistoric cave sites and museums in Europe.

Kents Cavern, is a founding member of Ice Age Europe (www.ice-age-europe.eu), the network of Europe’s most important prehistoric sites associated with Ice Age human occupation. 

It was very exciting for us to be invited and involved in this project - the relationship between Kents Cavern and TTPL goes back many many years and, we are pleased to say continues to grow year by year. A huge 'THANK YOU' to Nick and James at Kents, it was our pleasure to be involved.

What can a student do for your business? A placement provider tells us!

We often get e-mails and phone calls saying how well students have done and how much fun they have had... occasionally I get a message that really highlights what we do and (excuse the lack of modesty here) how good we are at doing it.

There is a company in Plymouth, called Adelie; we have worked with them for a good few years and over that time we have got to know Penny and Pete quite well and our students always have a great time with them. We are in contact fairly regularly and today I received a message that demonstrates the difference that our amazing students can make...

It started with an offer of student placements for next year and included this line... "We have had other students from different companies in the past, but none have worked out or fitted in nearly as well as the students you have found for us!"

I went back and asked Penny if it was ok to use a quote from her message and the reply was great...

"Absolutely, you can use a quote! In fact, I would go as far as saying.....without Sara this March, who took up the reigns for me just after I had my operation & Martina who you placed with us from May to August last year, we would have really struggled to get through all the work!"

Now this isn't an easy option or 'free' workers, the European mobility programmes are far more demanding than that.... these young people are mentored and guided, coached and taught. Pete, Penny and the team really do work very hard to welcome students and ensure that they gain a great deal from their placement (and enjoy a great time in Plymouth) - They also have the opportunity to 'create' something for themselves during their placements...you can see Sara modeling her jacket - designed and embroidered during her time at Adelie! 

With their new project 'House of Marguerite', designing & making, bespoke vintage inspired lounge wear, I'm sure there will be some great opportunities for future students.

Thank you Adelie and Bluebells and Nightingales - you, like all of our work placements, really do make a difference and you efforts and support are appreciated.

Goodbye, Auf Wiedersehen, lebewohl, ciao, adios, arrivederci, da svedanya, la revedere, au revoir, arrivederci..... farewell and see you soon Sam

Goodbye is not the end of everything but merely the beginning of something new!

Today is a very strange day for me; sadly it is my last day here at The Training Partnership. My time with TTPL has been fantastic; full of fond memories, faces, experiences, hard work and laughter!  I cannot start to express how thankful I am for the experience and the responsibility I was given.  I have only been here for 14 months but I have learnt so much, grown as a person and gained the confidence to tackle anything that life can throw. Looking back, my time has been filled with smiling faces, amazing people, interesting stories and more importantly a sense that the work I and TTPL do is worthwhile and meaningful. I have welcomed over a 1000 European trainees, helping them to settle in this weird and wonderful country, taken 100’s to work experience placements aiding their professional development whilst organising lots and lots of events, activities and social nights to ensure their time here is fantastic and memorable!!

 From Boat Parties to BBQ’s, pub quiz’s to cream teas, karaoke nights to leading cultural visits, teaching educational classes, English nights, London excursions, hospitals trips, Xmas card making and Halloween ghost tours… I’ve done it all! Life at TTPL is fast paced, ever changing and definitely not boring.  I would like to thank everyone I’ve met for helping me on my journey and a special thank you to the TTPL team for being warm, happy, funny and genuinely great! It’s been a pleasure working with you all and it won’t be forgotten!
So where to now I hear you say …. Well not to rub it in but I’m off travelling – Seeing the impact TTPL has on student’s and the joy our participants gain from being in a new environment, experiencing a new culture and different traditions,  I have decided to see more of the world! I and my girlfriend (also called Sam) are touring Thailand for 4 weeks, and then it’s a quick visit to Singapore (where chewing gum is illegal!! – crazy) before we’re off ready to celebrate Christmas and NYE in Sydney….then who knows!!!  Fiji, New Zealand…USA (route 66) maybe even MARS hahah! I’ll be sure to update you! Follow me on Facebook J I might even create a video blog with my new GO Pro

And now, the end is near; so is this blog I’ve written. My friends, I'll miss you all, I've packed my case, and leaving Britain. I'll live a life that's full, travelling each and every highway; And more, much more than this, I will do it SAM’s way!     

Stay safe Sam, we will all miss you!



With love and our very best wishes from all of us at The Training Partnership
bon voyage !

MTI Event 2014 - and a visitor from Saxony

This week saw the annual MTI (Manufacturing Technology and Innovation) event, organised by the TDA and held at the Riviera International Conference Centre.

This year we put out an invitation to some of our partner organisations who send us engineering based students and are delighted to have been able to welcome Tina Butterbrodt from Bildungs Werkstatt Chemnitz gGmbH. She arrived on Wednesday evening and enjoyed a two night stay at The Grand on Torquay sea front. A lovely 'English' hotel (according to Tina) and very convenient for the RICC. Pretty good breakfast too!

As soon as we arrived at the event we bumped into Torbay mayor, Gordon Oliver, who welcomed Tina and spoke for a while about the Torbay twinning with Hamelin and the great relationship we have with many organisations in Germany. We also had a very interesting conversation with Stephen Criddle - Principal of South Devon College. I think a proper visit to the college will be in order for Tina's next visit to Torbay!

We spent a few hours at the event and had the opportunity to speak with many of the High Tech companies in this area that have (and will continue to) host our/her students - with some excellent experiences and stories to tell - it was a very enjoyable time. A very interesting presentation from Spirent and some inspiring young people demonstrating their technical skills! Before we continued our day Tina asked about the differences between the German and UK Apprenticeship system - with particular reference to Engineering. A very big 'thank you' to Anthony Sutton from South Devon College who spent some valuable time explaining the current system and how we train our young people - excellent!

A visit to our offices to introduce Tina to the TTPL team and then...LUNCH! We (Nadine and I) took Tina to the new Visto Lounge, a really great demonstration of how the bay is developing - excellent food and a lovely location.

Then on to have a tour of Torbay, as it was Tina's first visit to this area we felt it was important to show how much there is here, so in spite of the weather we drove around the area pointing out the many highlights of Torbay - ending at South Devon College, where I was told that "we have nothing like this in Germany" - high praise indeed for our local college!  We rounded off the day with our weekly student meeting, this week at the AMF Bowling on Torwood Street - 113 students all having an amazing time in a European all comers challenge - so good to see them all having fun and also an opportunity for Tina to meet up with one of her students currently here with us and many of the others from across Europe. All in all a very good day and I know that Tina enjoyed her brief time here in Torbay.

They have arrived!

Our GrowEurope students have just touched down in mainland Europe (Lucky them!).

Some of you might have seen them out and about in Torquay 2 weeks ago. They were here for their   pre-departure training consisting of Cross Cultural training, Language lessons and Work preparation. They even got involved with our European students practicing their language skills at our weekly Language Cafe.

Our GrowEurope group is made up of 14 graduates from all over the UK. The lucky few have been given a fantastic opportunity to complete a work experience placement in either France or Germany!

After their pre departure course here at TTPL, they had a week at home to prepare and  have finally left England to begin this amazing experience. 

Our guys will be spending 10 weeks in 3 different cities; so here they are:

Tabby, Johanna, Becky and Jodie are excited to start their new adventure in Nancy;

Bordeaux has just given Ellie, Jenny, Holly and Sam a big welcome!

And finally Aidan, Ray, Nathan, Nitin, Eira and Emma  have just arrived in Leipzig, Germany.

Good luck guys!

Enjoy your time and make an incredible experience over there!

GROW Europe and Outbound travel

SO what’s been happening in the busy world of The Training Partnership ltd?

…well I’m glad you asked! This week we had our 2014 induction programme for our outbound GROWEurope programme. GROWEurope stands for ‘Gain Real Opportunity Within Europe’ , it is a 13 week fully funded ‘Mobility’ programme designed to address the need for recent graduates to bridge the gap between academic studies and practical experience.

TTPL has secured UK work placements for over 900 European students this year and felt it would be brilliant if we could send UK young people to France and Germany to gain similar experiences in Europe.  

We had a great response and received a varied selection of graduates from all over the UK. The selection criteria is based upon motivation and commitment, and required the applicants to express why they should be given this fantastic opportunity.

Our UK applicants arrived last week and have undertaken a full 2 weeks programme to prepare them for their placements abroad. It all started with a warm welcome and a detailed introduction to how the GROWEurope programme works and will end with an interview in their chosen language.  Although they looked nervous at first, our applicants soon came out of their shells and interacted with our European Partners chatting about themselves, their experiences and their future goals.

This experience will help them improve their CV, personal skills and employability whilst giving them a lifetime memory they will not forget! The 13 weeks includes 2 weeks of language and cultural training here in the TTPL office Torquay, then 10 weeks of professional work experience in either Toulouse or Leipzig and a final week of video CV making and evaluation when the return. Their European adventures start in October 2014, stay tuned for updates on how they get on, or why not add us on Facebook and Pinterest to see their experience in pictures.

https://www.facebook.com/grow.europe

http://www.pinterest.com/groweurope/

Student Meeting Reminder

Student Meeting – ROCK GARDEN – PUB QUIZ TIME!!!

Today's student meeting 25^th September – is at Rock Garden at 2.30pm!!   40-42 Swan Street Just Off Fleet Street, Torquay TQ2 5ES

As some students have been requesting more social meetings I thought this week we’d go to the pub, TTPL will buy everyone a drink and we can relax, talk and there will be a traditional English Quiz made by Janni (our trainee) to test your knowledge.  So get your thinking cap’s on and turn up with your brains ready to work J!! See you all there guys! Can’t wait!

http://www.rockgardencafe.co.uk/

See you all there!!!

This Week's Student Meeting

Student Meeting – Thursday!

This week’s student meeting is CINEMA!!! We are going to watch SEX TAPE!! 

We have arranged a special price so TTPL will buy you all a ticket…plus a drink and popcorn! 

Yeay!!!

Please meet me at 3.00pm at Paignton VUE Cinema – film starts at 3.30pm but we need to get everyone signed in and get your popcorn and drinks ordered!

http://www.myvue.com/latest-movies/info/cinema/torbay/film/sex-tape

The Esplanade, Esplanade Rd, Torbay TQ4 6AG

Stagecoach Ltd- Bus Station/Dartmouth Rd, Paignton TQ4 5EB, United Kingdom

Head north on Victoria St/A3022 toward Torbay Rd

23 ft

Turn right onto Torbay Rd

79 ft

Turn right onto Torbay Rd/B3201

0.2 mi

Turn left onto Esplanade Rd/B3201

197 ft

Sharp right

Destination will be on the left

197 ft

Vue Cinemas - The Esplanade, Esplanade Rd, Torbay TQ4 6AG, United Kingdom 

 Please get Number 12 bus to Paignton Bus Station Or the train!

SEE YOU ALL THERE!!! FILM STARTS AT 3.30pm but please be there for 3.00pm so we have enough time to register you sort out certificates and gives us time to buy  POPCORN!!!

All systems go!

All system's go!!!

Its only Monday!

Good Morning World! Today has started off with a bang, busy, hectic but just how we like it. So far this morning we have welcomed two new groups to TTPL, we have 3 separate classes running and we have students studying at Riviera English School as well! A busy few hours I assure you.

Our new Stelzer group from Germany has just started their first Cross Cultural lesson, our GROW Europe group (14 British students) are starting their 2 week language programme before undertaking 10 week work placements in Europe (lucky people)  and we still have our Welcome meeting to come this afternoon!

Also this weekend our Thomsen group went to London. We organised a guided Royal tour, taking in Buckingham Palace, the changing of the guards, The Mall, Trafalgar square, Horse guards, Downing street, Houses of parliament and Westminster Abbey before heading to Covent Garden for free time and shopping. It was a great day ..long..but our students loved London and what it has to offer!

 Stay tuned to our Blogs and Facebook to hear what else is going on in the World of TTPL this week!

Have a good week!

Student Meeting!!!

HELLO WORLD!!!!

This Week’s Student Meeting is at Cockington, Torquay, TQ2 6XA.

Thursday 11th September 

Cockington is a picture postcard village that dates back to the Domesday Book (1086). With its characteristic thatched roofs and cider orchards it has always been one of Torbay’s most popular visitor destinations. It’s a typical traditional English Village. Please meet me at Cockington Court (the big House) at 2.00pm. From there you can walk around the beautiful gardens & lakes, explore the art galleries, see the craft shops and private church, play football or volleyball on the traditional English green, ride a horse and carriage AND TTPL will buy everyone a Devon Cream Tea or Ice cream. This is a very beautiful place, and very worth a visit if you arehere in Devon . PLUS you get a FREE CAKE and CUP of TEA …..PERFECT!!! I will bring the football, volleyball and sports equipment so we can have fun or chill in the sun!

http://www.cockingtoncourt.org/

Set in an award-winning country park, Cockington Court is a historic manor house with over twenty craft studios, tea rooms, the Walled Art Garden, a Tudor rose garden and contemporary art gallery. Cockington’s Kitchen Gallery has a growing reputation in the arts world as a contemporary gallery space of regional significance, having exhibited work by artists of international acclaim as well as emerging local talent. Open daily, free admission: 10am-4pm  October-March; 10am-5pm April - September (Please note studio opening times may vary please call the maker or Cockington Court prior to your visit).

By Bus: The number 12 bus runs approximately every 10 minutes throughout the day. Take the number 12 bus to Cockington Lane/Livermead House Hotel. Walk up Cockington Lane and through the Watermeadows on the boardwalk, a 20 minute walk. Unfortunately, the route is not suitable for wheelchairs.

I recommend the No.62 bus runs Monday to Saturday (10am to 4.25pm).  You can catch the bus from Princess Gardens and Torre Abbey Sands. Visit www.dialabus.info for further timetable information.

October to March: Mondays – Fridays get the 62 from Torquay Harbourside takes you directly to Cockington. Get the 12.40 0r 13.20 

See you all Thursday!!!!

 Yummy!! 

Bank Holiday Blog

Here it is...the last Bank Holiday before Christmas! This year is flying by but there is still so much more to do and so many exciting things going on - but first:

Today we said good by to two of our office students Kim, from Paris, has been with us for the past 8 weeks and produced some great work and been involved in a project to invite Engineering partners to the MTI  event in October - we will really miss his him, his great humour and of course, his work.  We are also saying 'kvedja' to Rut from Iceland - she has only been in our office for a week but has a larger than life character that we will all miss. We will also say a very big TTPL 'goodbye' to the other 15 students from Germany, Italy and Spain who are returning home this weekend - cheers guys.

It is also the start of Torbay Regatta week, with loads of events around the bay, not least the amazing Red Arrows display on Wednesday evening at 6.00.

This is a big Bank Holiday weekend for England which means that

for most of us it is a three day weekend (wooohooo) so make sure you enjoy it. We also had another fantastic barbecue on Ilsham Green for our Thursday student meeting. Sam arranged for football, fun and of course burgers...he even managed to keep the rain away although it was a little chilly!!! Next week is a visit to Living Coast and the opportunity to see the new baby seal - awwwwwww! 

So have fun, stay safe and enjoy the fun and festivities across Torbay in the next 7 days. Next weeks Conversation night will be at the Rock Garden on Tuesday at 8.00 pm...Sam will see you there.
See you all soon
Ciao for now :0)

Blog – Sam’s Summer Madness

Hello World,

It’s been a while but I’m back – it’s Blog time again!!

As you may know I’m the Student Support Officer here at TTPL – I manage the welfare of our students and organise our social and cultural activities. This summer has been crazy – since June we have had over 150 students with us each week…and the numbers are staying like this until November (we must be doing something right!).

It’s been great to see so many faces over the summer enjoying their time here, I feel like an ambassador for Torbay! However it has been a real challenge to find interesting activities to accommodate our large groups but one I’ve thoroughly enjoyed!

Our students meet us every Thursday afternoon to socialize, relax and to see the different attractions Torbay has to offer. We have had some fantastic meetings this summer from trips to Splashdown Waterpark (making most of the sun), visits to Paignton Zoo, amazing BBQ’s on Ilsham green with sports and slip and slide activities; the 10^th Torbay Sea Scouts even came to cook our burgers! We’ve had cream teas at Cockington, a football tournament for the World Cup, an educational experience at Kents Cavern and even the odd Bowling match. I know I know it’s a hard life organising events for students – but someone has to do it!

As well as Thursday meeting’s we have had a host of extra activities on offer for our students this summer. It all started with the weekly Conversation nights here in Torquay – the night is aimed at students using and practising their English speaking and listening skills. It gives them a chance to meet others in a friendly safe environment whilst improving their confidence to speak out loud. We meet in local restaurants/pubs each Tuesday, and spend the evening chatting; it also gives me a great chance to learn more about their experience and time spent here with us. The nights have become really popular with over 70 students attending last week and I have now just started them in Exeter too on Wednesdays – I will be at The Imperial Exeter next Wednesday @8.00pm if you want to join me! 

As if that hasn’t been enough for our hard working bunch they all manage to squeeze in time to attend the Disco Boat Parties. Tell me more, I hear you say… well it’s a 2 hour tour of the lovely bay on a private boat with a DJ and licensed bar – trust me this is a must for the summer and proved very very popular. We have also organised private discos at Mambo’s Torquay too – which was great to see our students dancing and singing together! I’ve tried to promote Torquay United and get a group up to watch a match… however for some strange reason this has proved rather difficult, instead our students have preferred karaoke nights at JD’s and watching live bands at the Spinning Wheel. Finally we have been part of the Riviera Fringe Festival and even had an excursion to London!! M&M world was amazing – but don’t go crazy with the pick n mix.

What a summer!

Our next excursion is planned for 30^th August - London, Bath, RoundRobin or Thorpe Park; Get voting!  VOTE

Well thanks for reading; We had a great Boat Party last night with 160 students (see our Facebook page for the pictures) – and the rain stayed away!!! Keep tuned for my next blog!

Adios, Au revoir, auf Wiedersehen, Ciao, Shalom, Zai jian & Goodbye!!!