STUDENTS at a County Durham School were given an insight into how business now needs to meet the requirements of an international market.

Shaun Woods, airport manager at Durham Tees Valley Airport, ran the project where pupils looked at visiting the North-East through the eyes of a French visitor.

Following a visit to the airport, the year ten pupils at Staindrop Business and Enterprise College were tasked with looking at what would be important to French travellers coming to the region and examining what sort of information would be useful to them.

The students then produced a French language passenger information sheet, which covered topics ranging from disabled parking and facilities at the airport to local attractions they could visit.

It comes as The Northern Echo’s Foundation for Jobs campaign aims to build links between schools, colleges and industry.

Under the campaign, which is being run in collaboration with Darlington Borough Council and the Darlington Partnership of public and private sector organisations, it is envisaged that about 1,000 young people will benefit from an increased awareness of industry in the region during the next 12 months It follows research by the Education and Employers Taskforce charity, released earlier this year, that showed young people who had contacts of that kind while at school were five times less likely to be unemployed or not in education or training at the age of 25.

Mr Woods said: “I thought it was a tremendously worthwhile exercise which certainly gave us some very worthwhile ideas and I hope gave the students an insight into how the airport works and how important it is to the local area.”

Marion Cleland, assistant headteacher at Staindrop Business and Enterprise College, said: “The pupils found it inspiring, getting an insight into the workings of an airport and putting themselves in the position of a French traveller. The idea was for them to use their French, but it also made them think a bit more about what businesses need to put out there for people.”

As well as building links between schools and industry Foundation For Jobs aims to create at least 100 additional apprenticeship places for young people and 100 internships at local firms.

A key part of this will be work to make it easier for firms that do not recruit interns or apprentices to do so.

Launched in January, a further target of the campaign is to provide at least 50 young people with help to develop entrepreneurial skills.

This week the campaign’s Facebook page has been launched, which can be accessed at facebook.com/dar lingtonfoundationforjobs

• For further details on the campaign and how it can help your business contact Foundation For Jobs co-ordinator Owen McAteer on 01325- 388367 or owen.mcateer@darlington.gov.uk