POLAND, Gaza and Oman are just some of the destinations to which Blackburn College lecturers will be flying because of the college's growing international reputation for expertise.

This Sunday, Roger Munns - the college's assistant principal in charge of external projects - will chair a planning meeting in Warsaw to draft a joint project with the Polish telecommunications industry and the Ministry of Education. The proposal is for a two-year project to help the Poles modernise and improve their training programmes.

If approved, the scheme will be funded by the Overseas Development Administration to the tune of £200,000.

Mr Munns will then continue his mission to extend college services overseas by presenting a large scale project to the Palestine Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction. This will involve setting up a training and production school in the former Israeli-occupied territory of Gaza, helping to develop areas such as construction, vehicle maintenance and furniture production.

Mr Munns said: "Blackburn College is developing a truly international reputation in higher education and training, working in partnership with Lancaster University and other higher education centres."

Meanwhile, engineering lecturer Barry Hartley is to visit Oman to advise on a plant engineering course in co-operation with the Petroleum Development Company.

And Barry Wood, a construction lecturer, is off to Denmark to set up a 'life-style swap' for Blackburn students and their counterparts in Roskilde College, near Copenhagen.

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