Group travel specialist COGO Travel (previously The Travel Adventure) provides a number of LOtC opportunities for GCSE and A Level Business students in cities across the world.
Teachers looking to take Business outside the UK can book trips of varying lengths to destinations including Barcelona, Prague and New York.
Here are five itineraries that lend themselves to Business Studies and range in learning focus from European affairs to modern consumer markets.
Three days in Prague
Communism, capitalism, the economy, managing a business and learning about the wider economic environment are topics to be explored on a trip to Prague.
The itinerary begins with a guided walking tour of the city which visits Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, Old Town Astronomical Clock and Wenceslas Square.
The students will also make a stop at CERGE-EI (The Center for Economic Research & Graduate Education) to learn about the building and the school.
A visit to the ŠKODA Museum and Factory as well as a tour of the Czech National Bank to learn about the financial development of the Czech Republic are also highlights on this itinerary.
Three days in Barcelona
Students can get a real ‘taste’ for Business on this trip, by visiting a number of food and drink producers to find out how local businesses are sustained.
A visit to Torres Wine will give young people a chance to learn the history of the Torres family company, before taking a walk through the Ma La Plana Vineyeard to discover how wine is produced from grape to bottle.
The school group will also visit the Danone Factory – the European production centre for yoghurt – to learn about the process of developing products like Activia® Fruits & Vitalínea®. A talk at the headquarters of the Barcelona Transport Office to learn about what keeps the city moving is also on the agenda.
Topics relating to GCSE Business include Business markets, globalisation, and managing the provision process, while A Level links include all of these plus managing Business activities.
Five days in New York
This itinerary focuses on GCSE learning about marketing and the economy, and A Level learning about marketing and international businesses. The tour covers the industry transition in New York from communism to capitalism, and visits sites such as Times Square and Central Park.
Students will take a guided tour of the Federal Reserve Bank, where they’ll learn about its function in the US economy, as well as visit the Museum of American Finance on Wall Street. This museum boasts exhibits on the financial markets, money, banking and entrepreneurship.
Further highlights on the New York itinerary include a visit to the Empire State Building and the 9/11 Memorial Museum; taking a business workshop at Madame Tussauds; and learning on a guided tour of Macy’s department store.
Three days in Brussels
Students will be able to immerse themselves in European affairs and get a better understanding of the Belgian capital on this short educational break to Brussels. Topics for GCSE and A Level learning include globalisation, the economic environment, and European parliament.
This itinerary includes a tour of the Museum of the National Bank of Belgium, where there are a range of interactive educational displays of coins, notes and medals, iconographic documents, valuable books and archives, artefacts and machines.
Further places to visit include the European Parliament to get an understanding of how the parliament functions and what the representatives of each EU country do, and the Museum of the Belgian Brewers to see how Belgian beer is processed and manufactured.
Three days in Berlin
Students can go behind the scenes at some of Berlin’s big industry names like KPM, Porcelain, BMW and Schönefeld Airport on this practical hands-on tour.
A visit to the Reichstag – the seat of German parliament – is included, and students can enter the dome at the top of the building for city views.
They’ll also take a guided tour of Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur, the porcelain factory founded in 1763, to gain an understanding of the history of porcelain manufacturing.
Tours of the BMW motorbike plant, the Rundfunk Berlin TV station and Berlin Schönefeld airport are also highlights on this itinerary.
Further information
Teachers and school travel organisers interested in booking a Business Studies trip with COGO Travel will find travel options (flights/ferries/coaches) taken care of, as well as accommodation, group restaurant bookings and travel insurance.
For school trip queries call 01825-745211 or e-mail sales@thetraveladventure.co.uk.
For further school travel information visit www.cogotravel.co.uk.
