Students Experience Cyprus  

Eight students from DN Colleges Group (DNCG) flew to Cyprus in an all-expenses paid for excursion, courtesy of the Erasmus programme.  

Once travel restrictions were eased, DNCG, which includes North Lindsey College and Doncaster College, have received the highest amount of student applications for overseas work experience. The last student trip, pre-Covid had taken place in February 2020. 

Four students from Doncaster College and four from North Lindsey College flew out to Limassol for a once in a lifetime opportunity with their subject area peers. A full itinerary was planned for the students which included five days’ work experience in a five-star hotel, experience as tour guides, six excursions and some free time to enjoy the island at their leisure. Students also got to sample some of the culture by experiencing some of the excursions with the opportunity to visit Omodos Village, Paphos, Aphrodite’s Rock, Kourion, Millomeri Waterfall and also Linos Winery.  

All the students from North Lindsey College have worked their way up through the travel programmes and are now studying on the Cabin Crew programme. 

Nicole Davison (18) applied for an overseas travel vacation in her first year at College, but due to Covid only managed to experience this in her third year. 

Nicole said, “The experience was good and it gave you an idea of what to expect if you work overseas. Although we were working, we had a lot of fun.   

“We adapted quickly to our new environment and we had the independence to do this. Our course has prepared us for the experience and the skills that we have learnt we used while we was out in Cyprus. My favourite part of the trip was being able to experience it with my friends, we really enjoyed the shopping mall where there was an ice-skating rink.”  

Nicole continued, “I would totally recommend the trip to others, it has given me ideas of what I want to do when I leave College and that is to continue with my studies in Travel at university.”   

Linda Sykes (International Co-Ordinator, DN Colleges Group) said, “It is fantastic that eight Travel & Tourism students visited Cyprus for two weeks and gained relevant work experience in a five-star hotel. They also had the opportunity to take part in two days of cultural visits when they were able to work as tour guides and deliver presentations to other visitors, and in doing so develop their own cultural knowledge. This also helped to increase the confidence of the students. I am so pleased that they had an amazing time, and I hope that they can take forward the valuable experience that they have acquired to help them on their journey to great careers! The International team is so pleased that the visit was a success, a great achievement for the students in these challenging times.”  

DN Colleges Group are looking to pursue more trips in the future and open more opportunities to other students as long as restrictions allow.