Four students from the College of Law are currently completing international SPIN (Swansea Paid Internship Network) work placements in Botswana. The group is made up of: Emma Rizk, age 20, from London; Matthew Chester, age 20, from Huntley in Gloucestershire; Hannah Gormley, age 20, from Lymington in Hampshire; and, Louis Owens, age 22, from Merthyr Tydfil.

Pictured L-R Emma Rizk, Matthew Chester, The Deputy High Commissioner to Botswana Oliver Richards, Hannah Gormley and Louis Owens.

The student placements, which were organised in collaboration with The Pyramid Group, are part of the range of international work opportunities that the University's College of Law, Swansea Employability Academy and International Development Office have developed this year to ensure meaningful placements for both students and employers overseas. 

The student’s itinerary covers:

Based at Livingstone Kolobeng College, the students will help out with school sports and work with the community team, visiting an orphanage and some disadvantaged communities to help with projects.  

• Based with the Botswana Rugby Union and Botswana National Sports Council, they will join the outreach projects to disadvantaged communities and attend schools in deprived areas to assist with literacy classes etc. 
• Based with Aon Botswana, the students will also spend some time with Hollard, a major underwriter in the region.
• For the final week the students will work at major leading law firm in Botswana, Bogopa, Manewe, Tobedza & Co where they will shadow attorneys. 

The students also spent some time meeting Oliver Richards, Deputy British High Commissioner to Botswana at the High Commission in Gaborone. Welcoming the group Mr Richards said: “it is great to see the team from Swansea making a difference here in Botswana, and contributing to strengthening links between the UK and Botswana in the field of education. I look forward to seeing those links go from strength to strength.” 

Dr Jon Howden-Evans, Head of the Employability Academy commented: “ Having grown our home placements to provide students with paid 'graduate level' work experiences, working collaboratively with colleagues in the University has enabled us to provide this benefit right across the globe to a greater number of our undergraduate students”.