Students’ Italian adventure on international work placement trip

New City College students were given the amazing opportunity to visit Florence in Italy for a two-week international work experience placement as part of their course.

The trip was free for the students and involved those studying Art & Design, IT and Business courses at NCC Tower Hamlets campus.

As well as working with artists, art galleries and computing companies, the students also had free time to soak up the sun and explore the beautiful city, visiting museums, iconic landmarks and stunning churches.

One project for the Art & Design students was to create a bespoke Dog Sculpture from the Avery Perfume Galleries. This is an exclusive perfumery and art gallery in Florence that houses uniquely designed and scented animal sculptures which are hand-crafted and painted and sell for around 2,000 Euros.

Art student Rachel McArdle said: “We had to design the dog using inspiration from Florence, so I used the beautiful city culture in my design. I have never travelled abroad before and this trip has made me want to do a lot more travelling!”

Joao Destro, also studying Art & Design, said: “It was so inspiring. We worked with an independent artist named Magarita who had her own workshop. She introduced us to textile design and different processes and then we could make our own. 

“During our free time we walked everywhere and saw so much of the city. Florence is not huge so you could get around on foot and explore. It was a really great place.”

Shaira Galleon added: “Florence is so picturesque and the architecture is impressive, especially the Ponte Vecchio bridge. Everything I saw was like a historical painting, so beautiful and inspiring. I loved the culture of the city – the galleries, museums and churches – it was so interesting to visit.”

Second year IT students on the trip gained valuable industry experience and improved their technical skills while working with a computing firm.

Sheikh-Tahir Ali said: “The trip gave me the chance to work abroad in the IT field and gain practical knowledge, along with the experience of working professionally in a team. We were set tasks such as updating computer operating systems and we worked with PCs, laptops, routers and servers. The staff were great, very helpful and friendly.”

Student Jacey Burton added: “Over the two weeks I was involved in a lot of work, including configuring Office and Windows and testing PC sound systems. I also got to visit the Ponte Vecchio, the Museo Galileo, the Piazzale Michelangelo, the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, and the Palazzo Pitti. The opportunity was a fantastic experience to learn valuable workplace skills while visiting a foreign country, and I would highly recommend it to other students!”