Bringing the Learning Home is a series of seminars focused on international collaboration activity and opportunities in the skills sector. The seminars highlight the work of the British Council supported Skills Development Partnerships between UK institutions and counterparts across the Middle East and North Africa region, as well as looking at the experience of partnerships around the globe.

The seminars focus on how to enhance the partnerships to increase their impact and return on investment. They provide an opportunity to network in order to encourage successful partnerships to work together. They also provide delegates with the student and teaching staff’s perspective of the benefits of Skills Development Partnerships.

The initiative, facilitated by the British Council, was piloted in Edinburgh in March 2011. It was rolled out across the Middle East and North Africa in November 2011 with the seminar in Cairo. This was followed be a seminar in Edinburgh in June 2012. The latest seminar was held in Kuwait in November 2012.

Bringing the Learning Home International Seminar, Kuwait, November 2012

The latest ‘Bringing the Learning Home’ seminar brought together delegates from the UK and across the Middle East and North Africa. The seminar included the showcasing of some outstanding partnership work and insightful discussions that helped refine both the work of the partnership and British Council’s partnership strategy. It also saw the award of the 2012 International Skills Partnership Award – to the Egyptian Banking Institute and Craven College in the UK. Presentations from the seminar can be found here, with the seminar report to follow shortly.

Bringing the Learning Home International Seminar, Edinburgh, June 2012

Hosted by Stevenson College, Edinburgh in the Music Box, the seminar brought together overseas delegates from Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Kurdistan, Oman and Kuwait, as well as representatives from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Watch a video of the event, created by student film maker, Kevin Holmes, from Stevenson College, Edinburgh.

Bringing the Learning Home Edinburgh
(Watch the video with Arabic subtitles here.)

Case studies of successful Skills Development Partnerships can be found in the presentations.

Bringing the Learning Home International Seminar, Cairo, November 2011

Highlights of the conference, and next steps, have been published in a report in English, Arabic and French, as well as a video.