The world renowned Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon and SETU have signed an agreement for student and staff exchange as part of the EU Erasmus+ programme
Last week Lorain Walsh, programme leader for the BA (Hons) Culinary Arts and Don O’Neill, Assistant Head of Department, School of Humanities, visited WIT’s partner college, one of France’s leading culinary institutions, the Institut Paul Bocuse, in Lyon, France.
EU Erasmus+ exchange
The visit follows the signing of an exchange agreement between the two institutions last year which provides for student and staff exchange as part of the EU Erasmus+ programme. Last semester, SETU welcomed two students from the Institut Paul Bocuse to the second year of the BA (Hons) Culinary Arts. In return, two SETU students from that programme will spend a semester studying at the Institut from January next as part of their studies.
Head of School of Humanities, Dr Suzanne Denieffe, commenting on the importance of offering international learning opportunities to SETU students stated that "in an increasingly globalised world, international study and work experience is of particular importance for our students and we are especially pleased to be associated with the world renowned Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon".
Fantastic opportunity
Programme leader, Lorain Walsh commented that "this partnership offers a fantastic opportunity for our students to spend a semester studying at one of the world’s leading culinary institutes. The chance for our students to learn from some of France’s leading chefs and gain expertise in traditional French gastronomy and pâtisserie will be a great advantage for our student’s future careers."
In the third year of the BA (Hons) Culinary Arts programme, SETU students spend a year abroad as part of their studies – one semester working in a culinary environment and one semester studying at a leading culinary institution. Students from this year’s cohort are currently working in a wide variety of establishments including a Michelin star restaurant in Budapest, a five star hotel in the Canadian Rockies and a boutique hotel on a vineyard in the South of France.
Variety of study destinations
The destinations for study are equally exciting for our students commented Don O’Neill, "besides the Institute Paul Bocuse and the University of Angers in France, other study destinations include institutions and universities in the USA, Canada, the Netherlands and the University of Ulster at Coleraine, ideally suited for students who may wish to stay closer to home".
Insights from the students international work and study experience can be seen in the student’s blog: https://bacainternational.blogspot.com/ and on the Stories tab of the course page.