A ground-breaking initiative that enables students to gain a recognised qualification from completing an exciting overseas expedition is being launched by Outlook Expeditions, a specialist in delivering global educational expeditions for schools.
“Academic qualifications alone don’t equip young people with the skills needed to tackle life’s challenges,” said Simon Adams, managing director of Outlook Expeditions after announcing an exclusive partnership deal with Leader in Me (LiM), a world-renowned leadership development programme.
“By offering students an expedition with an in-built leadership course, schools will not only meet, but exceed, new Character Education requirements set by Ofsted,” he added.
Outlook Expeditions, which has 200 schools on its books, champions the importance of building resilience and character in young people, preparing them for the challenges of life. With its new “life readiness” leadership course, it will deliver even greater value to both schools and students.
The course – a UCAS application differentiator – is a free, value-added inclusion to all Outlook Expeditions, except for European destinations and Morocco. It is available to schools launching an expedition from April of this year for departure in 2022, although the programme is being piloted with a selection of schools travelling in 2021.
At the end of the course, which is based on Sean Covey’s ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens,’ students will gain professionally-recognised skills and a highly regarded qualification as part of their overall expedition experience. It has been developed especially for teenagers and its aim is to enable them to “find their voice” and develop critical skills to successfully navigate education, a career and life beyond the classroom.
Mr Adams added: “In today’s highly-competitive world, academic qualifications just aren’t enough. It’s so important to build character and resilience as well – and expeditions are an incredible vehicle for doing that. We’ve now taken this even further by partnering with an established and proven leadership course so that students continue to develop long after taking part in an expedition.”
