JEDDAH, 4 December 2007 — For the first time students from a college in the UK have arrived as exchange students in Jeddah. Arriving last Thursday, the students are part of a twinning agreement between Jeddah Technical College (JTC) and Britain’s Brighton and Hove City College (BHCC).
According to Dr. Mansour Al-Maiman, dean of JTC, the British group includes eight students and two instructors from the BHCC’s automotive department. The one-week program includes many educational and recreational visits in and around Jeddah. The group has taken a tour of JTC and other public automotive related training centers in Jeddah.
The dean noted that JTC sent nine students and three staff members last March to BHCC. “The program was very successful,” he noted.
He said that the twinning program between the two colleges aims to establish their links firmly, to develop exchange programs and exchange experiences.
Tony Calderbank, regional vocational training director for the British Council, said that the British Council had funded the two-way exchange visits as support for the program. “Now we expect the two colleges to provide their own funding to make the relationship continue in the future,” he said.
He pointed out that the British Council was always looking toward supporting educational exchanges between the two countries. The recent visit of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to the UK resulted in the signing of a memorandum of understanding for vocational training.
Calderbank said a number of new programs are in progress, including an exchange program in tourism and hotel management, which is offered by both BVCC and JTC.
The British Council is currently working on establishing links between the Communication College in Riyadh and Britain’s Sunderland College.
Both institutions specialize in computer and communications, he said, adding that the British Council would fund the first two exchange visits between the two colleges planned to begin in March 2008.
