At the start of January, euroMind welcomed a group of 16 laboratory technician students to Seville from Poland. Here, they undertook a work experience placement in an environmental research and analysis laboratory.

This placement required the students in the group to carry out a multitude of tasks, including tasks they knew how to complete beforehand, and ones that they learnt through this work experience. These included preparing materials (water, soil, and air) for sampling, and conducting and monitoring these sampling processes themselves. Additionally, they learnt how to carry out analyses of the results obtained, and prepare analysis reports from these. Furthermore, the students also became knowledgeable in physicochemical and microbiological analyses and how to conduct these. Finally, they became very familiar with analysing various elements of water samples, including pH levels, conductivity, and total solids content.

In addition to their work placements in the laboratory, the group participated in a number of cultural activities which enhanced their time and experience in Spain. The first of these took place in Seville. The students attended a tapas night, which allowed them to experience firsthand the typically Spanish social atmosphere of a tapas bar, while also sampling local specialties. Additionally, the group were taken on a tour of Seville with a member of the euroMind team where they saw the city from both a historical and artistic point of view, and were also shown some good places to eat and drink. Beyond the city of Seville, the group visited Cordoba and Malaga – two popular cities in the South of Spain. In Cordoba, the group visited the well-known Mezquita (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), the Roman Temple of Cordoba, and the Alcazar and adjacent gardens. Finally, in Malaga the students visited a number of interesting museums, churches, and other historically important landmarks, and finished their day in the world-famous Puerto Banus where they had the opportunity to walk around the Marina and shops along the waterline.

The group really enjoyed, and value, their time in Spain. The opportunities they had in completing a work experience internship abroad, coupled with their now-broader global, cultural, and linguistic awareness and appreciation, sets them up very well for future employment and gives them a head-start in today’s ever more competitive market.