Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
“As long as you are using the time to do something constructive then you will gain a huge
amount from a gap-year. It can make you more employable by enhancing your CV, but it
also improves what employers call 'soft skills' such as teamwork, leadership and respons-
ibility.”
“For students wanting to get onto competitive university courses like medicine or veterin-
ary medicine for example, having spent time gaining work experience on a related project
overseas can also help with university applications.”
Richard Nimmo, from Blue Ventures, who arrange marine conservation expeditions in
some of the most pristine environments in the world, told us that many of their volunteers
use the experience to flesh out their academic knowledge with some real practical experi-
ence:
“As well as all the soft skills that can be gained from a meaningful time away, a marine
conservation expedition is the perfect way to get a head-start in a career in the field of mar-
ine biology and conservation by learning from top scientists about ecological monitoring
techniques, species identification, as well as learning about Blue Ventures' unique integ-
rated approach to conservation natural resources.
“The science aspect of the expeditions brings a whole new element to Scuba diving and
even those who have been diving for years say that being able to identify and understand
what you're seeing in the water suddenly makes it even more enjoyable! Diving every day
means you can really get stuck into learning diving as a new skill or improving any existing
qualifications.”
