College celebrates 25 years of friendship with Toyota City!

Burton and South Derbyshire College recently celebrated 25 years of friendship with Toyota City with a visit from Mayor of Toyota City, Toshihiko Ota, Chairman of Toyota City Council, Kiyoshi Itagaki and their delegation.

During the visit, Mayor Ota and guests were able to see learners in action across the campus with a tour of the facilities, including the Mulberry Restaurant, Innovations Hair and Beauty, LEGO Education Innovation Studio and University Centre. This gave delegates an opportunity to meet learners and find out more about their learning environment. Guests were then given an overview of plans to resume the annual Toyota City study tour which was put on hold during the pandemic.

The programme sees students from high schools across Toyota City visiting the College for a two-week study tour, taking part in a series of activities, including visits to Toyota Manufacturing UK (Burnaston), Lichfield Cathedral, Sudbury Hall and a sightseeing tour of London. Previous programmes have included English classes, a mini rugby world cup with sports students, British cookery day with hospitality and catering students and a creative media workshop with creative students.

The College’s partnership with Toyota City, which is twinned with South Derbyshire, has enabled a range of exciting collaborative projects, including student exchange visits and the sharing of best practice. Chief Executive of BSDC, Dawn Ward CBE DL, commented: “We were delighted to welcome colleagues from Toyota City to Burton and South Derbyshire College to celebrate our 25-year friendship. This partnership represents a fantastic opportunity for young people from our region and from Toyota City region to benefit from academic exchange and collaboration, and be enriched by the experiences which international partnership can bring.

“The College is very proud to have worked in partnership with Toyota Manufacturing UK for many years now and we’re honoured to extend the partnership to the home city of Toyota Manufacturing, Toyota City. The collaboration will benefit young people from both countries for many years to come, helping them develop employability skills for success in the global workplace.”