The British Institute continues to give back to Florence through high-quality English teaching by furthering partnerships with organizations such as the city’s foremost catering college, IPSSEOA “A. Saffi”, and the Advantage Foundation.
Many of the students at Istituto IPSSEOA “A.Saffi” come from underserved communities and need additional support to find job opportunities in the hospitality sector. Given that proficiency in English is a core skill for employability in the hospitality industry, students at the catering college are benefitting from a generous grant provided by the Advantage Foundation, which is funding a bespoke range of courses. Now in its second year, the Advantage programme at The British Institute is achieving impressive results, with students at Istituto Saffi showing significant improvements in English proficiency as they gain self-confidence and motivation ahead of entering the working world.
In addition, The British Institute has partnered with the Monte San Martino Trust to offer scholarships to young Florentines, enabling them to spend a month perfecting their English in the UK during the summer. Founded in 1989 by J. Keith Killby, a former prisoner of war in Italy, the trust aims to give something back in recognition of the thousands of Italians who risked their lives to hide prisoners of war who fled after the armistice that lifted Italy out of World War II in September 1943. Of the five scholarships awarded this month, one was given to a Saffi student in the Advantage programme at The British Institute, 18-year-old Lorenzo Gallorini, who will spend a month studying English in Oxford, with all expenses paid, while other scholarships were given to individuals studying at The British Institute’s language centre in viale Mazzini.
“I have always believed that the teaching of foreign languages, and English in particular, is essential to allow our students to access high levels of professionalism in the world of hospitality,” remarked Francesca Lascialfari, director of Istituto IPSSEOA A.Saffi. “The collaboration with The British Institute of Florence in the last two years has exceeded our expectations and we are pleased that our students have decided to participate in the Advantage program at Il British with enthusiasm and seriousness. We are also proud that one of the Monte San Martino Trust scholarships has been won by Lorenzo Gallorini, one of our students who has always shown commitment and interest in improving his professional and language skills. Given the excellent results, we hope that this collaboration can last for years.”
Simon Gammell, director of The British Institute, commented, “In-depth knowledge of the English language is a fundamental skill for employability today. The British Institute offers the highest quality learning opportunities to those who wish to learn the language properly. We are therefore delighted that we can extend the opportunity to learn English to deserving students at Istituto Saffi with the Advantage programme at Il British. For these students, the program can significantly improve their life prospects.”
Paul Brown, founder of the Advantage Foundation, added, “The results achieved in the first two years of the Advantage programme at the British have significantly exceeded our initial expectations in improving the education and career prospects of disadvantaged children in Florence. We are confident that these results will attract additional donors, particularly those with interests in hospitality, to fund the program’s future growth.”
