Member Article

College builds foundations for international partnership

A North East college is cementing its relationship with a Bangladeshi polytechnic, giving an international flavour to its construction courses. City of Sunderland College has welcomed a delegation of officials from Dhaka Polytechnic Institute and the Bangladeshi Government to look at ways they can collaborate on construction curricula and international student and staff exchanges.

The guests were shown the workshop facilities at the College’s Building Services Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) at Hylton Skills Campus in Sunderland. College representatives will make a return trip to Dhaka, Bangladesh in February to see what they can learn from their Bangladeshi counterparts.

The collaboration between the two institutions, which has the backing of the British Council, started in December 2007 and is due to last until 2011, with both parties keen to continue working together well into the future.

Gary Cumiskey, Head of Construction at City of Sunderland College, said: “It’s been a real pleasure to welcome our Bangladeshi partners to the College. We’ve had some positive discussions about how City of Sunderland College can help Dhaka Polytechnic staff and students, by offering them curriculum and teaching and learning development opportunities. “We also look forward to sharing best practice techniques in construction with our colleagues at Dhaka Polytechnic and it will be a great experience for us to visit the Institute next year to learn more.”

The Bangladeshi delegation was made up of staff members from Dhaka Polytechnic Institute and Bangladeshi Government officials. The Government officials are hoping to eventually spread the best practice learned from the partnership across the whole of Bangladesh.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .