Bangladesh Partnership
5 Jan 2010
For the last two years Cardonald College Glasgow and Telford College Edinburgh have been involved in a joint project funded by the British Council to help establish links with a Bangladesh Textile Institution in Tangail Province.
Theresa Lindsay and I were treated wonderfully on our five day visit to Bangladesh in 2009. It was great to be able to return the hospitality when we entertained nine Bangladesh delegates for stage two of our 'Skills for Employability' project last month.
The party consisted of the Principal, a government minister, tutors and 3 students. They were with us for 4 days, researching course content and observing teaching methods for fashion and textile design. They are working towards setting up their own fashion technology course which could mean staff training and student progression to the department.
Theresa and I prepared workshops while the tutors explored our facilities and met staff and students. We also visited Scottish Borders Campus to tour their facilities and chat about potential progression.
On Friday our visitors celebrated the Eid Festival with the Bangladeshi community in Glasgow. Following this, they enthusiastically participated in a cultural tour of Glasgow, observing many landmarks and exploring the historical and industrial development of the city. In the afternoon we visited the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. Our guests especially liked the natural history sections and learning about the effect on Glasgow of immigrants to the city and were reluctant to leave when the museum closed. Colin Gordon who accompanied the delegation on Friday said "This is the best part of international development work, providing our young visitors with an experience that will stay with them for the rest of their lives."
Theresa and I will head to Bangladesh in January with four of our students and the project coordinator from Telford College. We plan to run fashion workshops with the help of our students. I think this will be an amazing experience for both our own and the Bangladesh students.
The visit was an enjoyable challenge and I must thank the international team who helped out with advice and practical help.
Joyce Draffan, Head of School of Fashion and Textiles.