Seouled out

Edge Hill University is to play host to a delegation of trainee teachers from Korea in the New Year.

Around 25 students from Seoul National University will visit the Ormskirk campus in February as part of a three-way exchange with Aston University in Birmingham. This is a prestigious collaboration for Edge Hill as SNU is the leading university in Korea and is rated 47^th in the world by the Times Higher Education QS World University Rankings.

The aim is to give the Korean students a taste of teacher training in the UK, as well as laying the foundations for future international initiatives, from which the whole University should benefit.

Rob Foster, Head of Professional Development in the Faculty of Education, travelled to Seoul earlier this year to sign up to the collaboration.

He said: "The Faculty of Education received an invitation to be part of a European delegation which was visiting SNU. The aim was to establish collaborative links, with specific focus on training teachers.

"We met with academics and students there, visited training schools and started to plan a return visit by trainee teachers. They want to carry out a comparative study - gaining experience in European schools and looking at the methodology of training teachers here. SNU already has a culture of English language, but it is very American-focused and they are planning to strengthen their European links.

"We have now signed a formal partnership agreement and two groups of Korean trainee teachers are coming to Edge Hill at the end of January, as well as visiting Aston University. As part of their study programme, they will be visiting our partner schools where they will have opportunities to observe lessons and network with trainee and young teachers, and spend time in the Faculty.

"There will be opportunities for Edge Hill students to go out to Korea in the future. The hope is that, although this collaboration has started in the Faculty of Education, it will become more widespread across the University."