International students were given the opportunity to gain real-world work experience during the Commonwealth Games, held in Australia’s Gold Coast in April 2018, after sports and entertainment services provider Incognitus partnered with Browns English Language School.
The arrangement, which was made available to high English-proficiency students, saw over 100 Browns students working with Incognitus to provide housekeeping and maintenance services in the athletes’ village throughout the two-week event.
“Learning English goes well beyond classrooms”
“Learning English goes well beyond classrooms,” said Richard Brown, managing director and founder of Browns.
“It is also about immersing in the local culture and experiencing new things.
“The partnership with Incognitus exceeded our expectations, and the feedback from our students has been overwhelmingly positive.”
This is the fourth Commonwealth Games serviced by Incognitus, after the Manchester, Melbourne and Glasgow Games.
General manager Paul Lovett said the arrangement was an integral part of meeting the athletes’ needs.
“It’s been a great collaboration between Browns and us,” he said.
The only of its type for international students during the Games, the agreement saw students help make over 150,000 beds, wash more than 50 tonnes of athletes’ laundry and supply 200,000 clean towels.
The 21st Commonwealth Games, which wrapped up on 15 April, was one of the Gold Coast’s largest events so far.
It attracted more than 6,500 athletes and officials from 71 Commonwealth countries and territories, including Usain Bolt, who met Browns students at a separate promotional event.
As the centrepiece of an ongoing campaign, the Games were used to promote both the Gold Coast and Queensland as a study destination.
Study Gold Coast held its Human Rainbow, which celebrated the city’s cultural diversity, on the first day of the Games while Trade and Investment Queensland held several events and workshops.
