Placement overview
Name: Emma
College: South Gloucestershire and Stroud (SGS) College
Vocational area: Sport
Location: Crete, Greece
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“I have learned so much about myself and also developed my technical skills from this experience and hope to do an apprenticeship in the UK next.”
Preparation for the placement
We ran a coaching qualification for participants, to upskill and sit alongside their course.
We also had lots of prep meetings. It was their first time away after covid and we needed to remove any anxiety and make sure they felt confident and comfortable.
The placement
Students assisted with coaching for a range of different sports. We also encouraged them to use it as an opportunity to observe different coaching styles. We gave them prompts and discussions points, so even when they weren’t physically training participants, they still had some engagement.
The learning
They developed confidence in meeting new groups, and considered how to transfer their learning to different settings. Students all completed journals in their placements. They had to learn how to adapt their communication, as Greek isn’t their first language. They had to be clear and thorough in their instructions and think of different ways to communicate simple commands.
The impact
They all took away a lot of learning. Things to embed into their practice or working with different types of groups. They had first hand experience of being out there. There is so much to pull out of this – independence, professionalism. At interviews; to have experience and examples to share around interpersonal skills is invaluable. The market is so competitive.
For one student, it was her first opportunity to work with young kids. She built such a good rapport, it was like it was her full time job. She fully immersed herself in what she was doing and her confidence soared.
Outcomes
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Improved language skills
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Exposure to cultural experience
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Confidence building
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Improved people skills
Collaboration and partnership is at the heart of what we do.
If you would like to find out more about the way we work, get in touch.