German group learn Scottish social work systems

LEARNING from each other was the main message as an Aberdeen university welcomed a group of German exchange students yester- day.

The School of Applied Social Studies at the Robert Gordon University is hosting two lecturers and 12 social work students from Georg-Simon-Ohm University in Bavaria, giving them the opportunity to observe Scottish practice.

The seven-day project, which includes a range of workshops, trips and social events aims to expose the German students to Scottish social work regulations, racial equality legislation and residential childcare provision.

Lecturer Robert Mackay, one of the organisers, said: “Social work is an international profession and it is very important that our home students are able to locate social work within its broader international context.

“The purpose of this brief international programme is to strive to provide an international experience for as many students as possible, especially for those who feel they cannot go on the longer study period abroad.”

Visiting student Miriam Flock, 22, from Nurnburg, said: “I’m really excited about the week ahead.

“I’m looking forward to exploring Aberdeen and learning more about social work in Scotland, and about how it differs from our system in Germany.”

This visit, which follows a trip by Aberdeen students to Germany last December, is the latest development in a long-standing partner- ship between the two universities which was originally set up under the European Union’s Erasmus programme.