Students studying Vocational and A Level Business, Economics or Accounts at Nelson and Colne College Sixth Form have enjoyed a trip to Brussels as part of their studies.

The Business Studies department at Nelson and Colne College Sixth Form has an outstanding reputation for helping dedicated students gain the skills and experience needed to be successful in the business world. With an excellent track record of local, regional and national competition success, Business Studies students go on to secure places at some of the best universities in the country, or move straight into employment with top employers.

Part of what makes the department so successful is the ethos of innovation and enterprise, which encourages students to ‘think outside of the box’ in terms of business. In order to give the students additional real-life business experience, which is invaluable for their course work and examinations, the students recently attended a 3 day visit to Brussels. With a packed itinerary, the students toured a number of companies and places of interest, all of which were relevant to their study of business. Such as a visit to the Port of Antwerp, where they attended a lecture and tour of the port, concentrating on the process involved in the distribution of cocoa beans to the rest of Belgium and Europe.

The students also visited a Coco-Cola distribution plant, and a smaller, niche factory which makes chocolate – giving them the opportunity to visit companies they have been researching as part of their studies.

Business Studies tutor Keren Morley accompanied the students and said, “We all had a really enjoyable trip to Belgium’s capital and it was certainly a busy trip where the students had an opportunity to learn a lot! A highlight of the trip was a visit to Coca-Cola’s flagship production and distribution plant where we had a very informative session and a fantastic tour of the facility – we also enjoyed the trip to a chocolate factory!  By visiting a variety of companies, it has allowed our Business students to apply their theory to real work environments.  Not only was the trip of huge educational benefit to the students, but we all had loads of fun too!”