STUDENTS have been given a taste of Indian culture and industry thanks to a life-changing visit to the most populated country on the planet.
Nine Darlington College students visited Delhi for a tour of TATA Group which makes everything from table salt to Range Rovers, needles to jet engines.
The group, comprising arts, business and automotive students, also visited a huge Continental Tyres factory and worked with children in a school in Palampur, a ten hour overland trip away.
The tour, designed to hone their skills and broaden their horizons, was funded by the Department for Education’s Turing Scheme.
For second year UAL art and design student Amy Bennett the trip was life-changing. The 19-year-old, of Bishop Auckland, has been inspired to work one day in South Korea teaching English.
“I always wanted to experience India and it was amazing,” she said. “It is fascinating to see how children live in other countries and it puts into perspective how we live here.
“I now want to go into teaching so working in the Indian school has really motivated me. I’m planning to study Korean at university with a view to teaching English in the country which has a very interesting culture and history.”
Automotive student Leona Milne, 18, of Darlington, said: “It was something very different – good different – and the people were really welcoming and friendly.”
Level 3 automotive student Jacob Davidson was so moved by the experience he would love to return to India one day. “There is so much more to see, though parts, such as the poverty, were hard to experience, yet lots of things were incredibly cheap.”
The trip also exceeded expectations for Level 3 business student Will Brice. “I didn’t really have high hopes but it was amazing,” said the 17-year-old, of Colburn, near Catterick.
“I thought I might want to go home early but actually wanted to stay even longer. It was so different from the UK and I loved working in the school with the children and hearing about their lives growing up.”
Fiona Ellwood, curriculum support assistant for engineering, digital, automotive and the arts, said: “It was an incredible trip for the students, challenging at times in 40 degrees of heat and on congested roads, but life-shaping. It has certainly broadened their views of the world.”
For more information on opportunities at Darlington College visit www.darlington.ac.uk.