Hello, we are the exchange students from Leeds. We have created this web page to tell you more about the UK and its educational system. We are here in Dortmund because of the Erasmus program and spending 3 weeks at Robert-Bosch-Berufskolleg. We are stationed in the IT support room with our apprentice colleagues. During our 3 weeks we enhanced our knowledge on computer hardware and software. Our main focus is to gain practical work experience. So when we leave college we can go straight into employment, which in the UK is difficult with the lack of experience. We arrived with two tutors who spent a week learning about the college system here in Germany and how it compares with the UK. For us, it was to experience living away from home in a foreign city and to see what similarities we could find compared to Leeds. One of our main challenges was the 3 of us had never met before. The Erasmus program is a prestigious trip that is very popular in British colleges, because they are on such high demand, students must undergo an application process whilst having high grades. One of the key aspects of the Erasmus trip is to teach students about the location's language. This is important because it improves interpersonal skills which mainly benefit students in interviews.
Our first impression of Dortmund was of surprise, when we noticed the similarities between both city centres. Thier-Galerie was a striking resemblance to Leeds Trinity shopping centre and we can also compare the amount of shops on Westenhellweg to Albion Street in Leeds. Not only seeing local shops but also international stores. We enjoyed browsing the different shops and also enjoyed speaking to different staff in English. One of the unfortunate similarities was the weather, for the majority of the 3 weeks it was dull and rainy and felt lot like Leeds, however after travelling to Düsseldorf the weather brightened up and was surprisingly warm. On a morning we travelled to college on two trains, both of which were very busy, just trying to exit the station platform we noticed the mass crowds of people and the hustle and bustle of city life. During our time at college we spoke to the headmaster Klaus Manegold and deputy headmaster Markus Herber, they briefly explained the history of the surrounding area. What we particularly found interesting was the Union brewery and how it was preserved because of its landmark status.
When we initially reviewed our timetable we were very surprised to find out we will be starting at 7:30 am. At Leeds City College the earliest we start is 8:30 am. So there is a major difference in what time we had to wake up at. One of the first details we found out was that the pupils here are apprentices, therefore they spend their first year 2 days at school and 3 days at work. In the second and third year they work for 4 days and attend school for 1 day a week. This method of dual training allows apprentices to gain valuable work experience as well as theory combined together. In the UK, our college consists of 3 or 4 days of studying, lessons can start at around 9:00am and finish at 16:00 pm. However most days it finishes earlier. There are a number of IT related courses and range from level 1 to 3. Some courses also offer an extended unit. This will allow the student to gain an extra qualification. Depending on the course type, most courses last a period of 2 years, consisting of 2 semesters. The IT and business course consists of either 12 or 16 units such as Business ethics, Marketing and starting a small business. We also learn about different aspects of IT, for example in database design we are given a scenario and are required to build a database to meet the user needs. In this case we would use Microsoft Access 2013. In the extended units, we learn 2D animation on Adobe Animate and 3D Modeling on 3DS Max. The extended units are only available to those who have passed Maths and English in secondary school. If the student has yet to pass, they are required to attend that particular lesson and take a final exam at the end of the year. The majority of courses are coursework based, so students will already know their overall grade by the end of their course. Each unit is graded from pass, merit or distinction and the higher the grade, the more UCAS points the student will have. UCAS meaning "Universities and Colleges Admissions Service" is the application process for university.
In the city of Leeds, we have multiple campuses ranging from art, IT and public services. Our latest premises is called printworks and was once a printing factory. Now it has the facilities that benefit teaching and education. The technology campus offers the latest IT software such as 3DS Max, Adobe suit and Microsoft office 2016, however the hardware is in need of restoration, hence why all departments are moving to printworks in May. Another department in the technology campus is media. This is where the students enhance their knowledge of modern media and participate in the production of the student magazine. The college also equips cameras and tripods. Here at Robert-Bosch-Berufskolleg we saw a mock production of a TV show. It was interesting to see the industry standard equipment and how not everything ran smoothly. Robert-Bosch-Berufskolleg is one of the 8 vocational schools in Dortmund and focuses on technology. These departments range from opticians, microtechnologists and event technicians. One of the noticeable features here is the cafeteria. Every time we walked past there was a crowd of hungry people waiting to be served, at Leeds city college the food served is hot, however its rather expensive.
Thanks to our hosts we had tickets to the Borussia Dortmund vs VfL Wolfsburg football game with 2 of our fellow colleagues. We were all very exited to attend the game and after the first 10 minutes it was clear why. The atmosphere was so extraordinary. Not even our local football club Leeds United could compare with the local supporters. Dortmund played a stunning game of football and it was certainly an experience to remember. The final score was 3:0 to Borussia Dortmund which was a great result, even though one of the stands were closed due to previous hooligans, the roar of the stadium still left its mark. Soon after we visited the club store where we checked out the football kit. With Dortmund's stadium being the 14th largest in the world and a capacity of 81,360 it's much larger than Leeds United's with 37,890 seats.
In May the Erasmus program will be sending 4 of the IT apprentices to Leeds for three weeks. They too will learn about the British educational system and what elements of IT we learn. They will also get a feeling what its like to live in the UK and enhance their communication skills just like ourselves. The apprentices are likely to stay in student accommodation as there is a nearby university.
