Students Prepare for Once-In-a-Lifetime Visit to Australia
06 February 2026
Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group (NSCG) has secured funding through the Government-funded Turing Scheme, enabling students to access life-changing international learning opportunities.
The Turing Scheme is designed to broaden global experiences for students across the UK, supporting education providers to help learners develop new skills, gain international experience and enhance their future employability.
Through a highly competitive application process, NSCG successfully secured funding to support a two-and-a-half-week educational visit to Australia.
Twenty students from across NSCG’s three campuses have been selected to take part and will travel in March, with many set to experience international travel for the first time.
The college has partnered with The Industry School in Brisbane, where students will take part in a blend of work and study opportunities throughout the visit. This will include time across two campuses, as well as the chance to meet, collaborate and network with students and staff.
During their stay, students will visit a range of employers to explore career pathways linked to their studies, including Super Yacht Infrastructure, advanced manufacturing and robotics centres, HOTA – Home of the Arts and the Gilmore Space Technologies. The programme also includes an outward-bound team-building day at Emu Gully, a visit to a wildlife park and a return journey via Sydney to explore one of Australia’s most iconic cities.
In preparation for the trip, students have taken part in a series of team-building activities to help them connect across different curriculum areas. This included a residential day retreat at Gradbach Mill, focused on outdoor skills and collaboration, as well as a LEGO® building challenge. Preparations concluded with a visit to the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Institute of Technology (SoTSIoT), where students experienced the facilities immersive VR and AR space showcasing Australian hotspots, alongside a practical briefing from Stafford College Travel and Tourism students on airport procedures and air travel.
Craig Hodgson, Principal and CEO at NSCG, said: “Securing funding through the Turing Scheme is a great achievement and reflects our commitment to providing ambitious, high-quality enrichment opportunities for our students. International experiences such as this broaden horizons, build confidence and equip learners with the skills and global perspective needed to succeed in an increasingly competitive world. For many of our students, this will be their first experience of travelling abroad, making this a truly transformative opportunity.”