STUDENTS from Cleveland, US, have been visiting their counterparts in Redcar.

Redcar and Cleveland College and Cleveland State Community College, Tennessee, have been involved in an exchange programme for the past five years.

It started when Redcar and Cleveland lecturer Neil Walker was browsing on the Internet and came across the college.

Since then, the colleges have learned that they have more in common than just a name.

The American students are studying similar examinations and qualifications in the field of engineering, and both sets of students are learning a computer-aided draughting package, which can lead to a City and Guilds qualification.

Eleven students from Tennessee spent ten days in the UK, including time at Redcar and Cleveland College's campuses.

The group also visited Edinburgh and York and spent their final evening on a leisure trip on the River Tees on the Teesside Princess.

As well as gaining cultural insights from their trip, the students experienced different ways of teaching and learning on a wide variety of modern technology.

Mr Walker said: "It was a pleasure to have the students from Cleveland over here and we look forward to giving others the opportunity in the near future. The social and cultural experience will live long in our memories."