Edinburgh College welcomes Moroccan delegation keen to learn about Scotland’s green construction technologies
Edinburgh College was pleased to recently welcome a delegation of three senior representatives from the Moroccan Office for Professional Training and Promotion of Employment (OFPPT), who toured our facilities and saw firsthand the various ways the College is contributing to a greener future. The delegation was led by Ms Soumaya Somlali, OFPPT Director of International Co-Operation.
The collaboration, supported by funding from the British Council’s Going Global Partnerships programme, focuses on methods of Green Construction, progressing a mutual understanding of techniques in the subject area.
Audrey Cumberford, the Principal of Edinburgh College, was on hand to provide a warm welcome to Scotland’s capital, alongside Claire De Braekeleer, Director of British Council Scotland, with a packed week of activities planned for the visitors, including tours of various facilities across our campuses and our partners’, as well as cultural excursions into Edinburgh itself.
During the week-long trip, the delegation visited our Renewable Energy Centre, where they discussed the College’s ecofriendly approach with Garry Maxwell, Head of Net Zero and Sustainable Construction, and undertook a trip to Heriot-Watt University’s Institute of Sustainable Built Environment where they visited various laboratories and spoke with experts working on the latest construction techniques co-ordinated by Assoc Professor Dr Mehreen Gul. There was also time for a visit to Built Environment-Smarter Transformation (BE-ST), a National Innovation Centre, where Impact Manager Scott introduced practical approaches to building physics and the use of low carbon materials in construction.
The delegates were also very interested in learning more about the wider systems in place at Edinburgh College, how we deliver teaching to our students, and how we provide development opportunities for our staff. In particular, our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and STEM work with schools were highlighted, both of which link strongly with the College’s Construction and Engineering Departments. VR teaching equipment was also demonstrated at Engineering.
While the delegation’s visit was very much business-focused, there were still opportunities for our guests to get out and explore everything Edinburgh has to offer, spending some time at the likes of the National Museum and Princes Street, soaking in some of our rich local culture, with the College’s International Business Advisor, Alistair Ware, also acting as a trusty guide and bus driver.
The College and the OFPPT look forward to working together on the next steps which will bring further mutual development for both organisations, with a return visit anticipated to take place later this year in October.
The College would like to place on record its sincere thanks to everyone involved in the project, and to the British Council for supporting the visit.