B&E Together Ltd helped organise a Belgium mobility experience for students of Dearne Valley College at CVO Heusden- Zolder. B&E thanked the team at CVO Heusden Zolder for their commitment to the development and training of Young People from the UK. The students were committed and enthusiastic throughout the project and learned new skills and techniques during their training.
The group was extremely complimentary to their Belgium Hosts portraying their thanks to the team at CVO for their support and especially to Joris Quintens. Here is what one of the students said about the whole trip
CVO
Joris Quintens, the project manager, arranged an introduction to the course that the students were participating in at CVO School in Heusden-Zolder. We then visited the new school that they are building which will replace CVO school. We also visited a renewable energy museum just next to the new building which was great for us as we got a clear understanding on renewable energy and passive housing.
Workshop
The following visit was to the work shop where Joris’ students practise their construction skills. This was brilliant for the students as they got to see how renewable energy is used when gardening as well as many different construction techniques that they could possibly use in the future.
Hasselt
We went into Hasselt, a town close to where we were staying, to have a look around. This was good as we got to see many different architectural structures such as this building which is part of the bus station.
Tongeren
We went into Tongeren, an old roman city to go to a museum about the Romans. This was a great experience as we learnt a lot about Tongerens’ history. We even got to see a glimpse of what pavements looked like back in Roman times. We also went to the Knauf Insulation Factory and had a tour round. This was particularly interesting as we got to see how different kinds of insulation such as glass wool are made. I would definitely recommend going here on future mobility projects
Beringen mijn
Whilst in Belgium we got the opportunity to go to a mining museum in Beringen, an old mining town. This was a great experience as we got to see what it would be like in a mining environment. We also had the chance to see a miners daily routine and the troubles they had to deal with by being a miner, such as loud noises that were guaranteed to make the miners deaf after 3 months as they were louder than a jet engine when underground. I would recommend going here again in the future.
Carnival
Joris hired bicycles for us to ride into Hasselt on one of our free days. This was great as when we arrived in Hasselt the local carnival was taking place. This gave the students a new experience and taught them a little bit about the culture of the local area. I would highly recommend doing this again.
Waterloo
On one of the days, we went to Waterloo Battlefield where the battle of Waterloo took place, this was great as we were able to watch some videos about the battle and see how a French Army under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated by the armies of the Seventh Coalition. We also got to walk up Lions Mound which was erected where the Prince of Orange (William II of the Netherlands) was believed to be wounded. This was an amazing experience.
Living Tomorrow
When we had finished in Waterloo we went to a place called Living Tomorrow. While we were there we got to see what houses in the future are expected to look like. This was a great activity as we got to see technology that we had never even seen before such as radiators that looked like pieces of art.
Brussels
On our last day in Belgium we went to Brussels to have a look round, this was the best activity in my opinion as it gave us an insight into the kind of architecture, fashion, food and lifestyles in Belgium all in one day!
Success?
We all had a unanimous decision that this project was very successful and we would highly recommend it to anyone who gets the same opportunity in the future.
THANKYOU!
