Mama knows (the) best
12 June 2012
Currently bringing a touch of French chic to the Oatridge campus is 19 year old intern Mama Gassama, who is from Angoulême near Cognac and is studying for vocational qualifications which she wants to lead to a career in human resources and management.
Mama is spending six weeks working in a number of departments, but her spell with the business team, and in particular Spanish-born Marketing Officer Emilia Barrero, has given the College its own mini "Eurozone".
It is no coincidence that she chose Oatridge for her internship. Alexia Roy, another student of Marguerite de Valois high school in Angoulême, was an intern here last year. Mama says: "I have always dreamed of travelling in an English speaking country and when Alexia told me of her internship and the type of work she carried out at Oatridge College, I immediately jumped at the opportunity.
"I'm very happy that I did because I have the opportunity to work in different areas with different people, which allowed me to have an overview of what the college does. The people I work with are very passionate, interesting and interested in what they do. I really like this professional experience.
"The team members here are very supportive of each other and it think it is that which makes Oatridge College successful and one of the best landbased colleges in Scotland. "This internship abroad boosts my curriculum, by demonstrating to employers my ability to use foreign languages in professional situations and it is also a way to acquire specific skills which are helpful for the operation of foreign companies."
It hasn't been all work and no play for Mama: She has been able to use weekends to visit Edinburgh, Linlithgow Palace, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs and has even managed to fit in some shopping in the capital and in Livingston.
