Local students mean business on U.S. trip

Seeing stars! From left: Bernadette Miller (Antrim), Mary-Claire OMullan (Ballymena), David Hunter (Ballymoney), Paul Mckay (Ballymena), Andrew Kelly (Randalstown) and Dean Boyle (Dunloy), have been selected to take part in the British Councils prestigious Study USA programme, where they will spend a year studying business in the USA. (Submitted Picture).

The pair will both be based in Tennessee, having been selected to take part in the British Council’s prestigious Study USA programme.

Mary-Claire (20), who is currently studying Accountancy at Queen’s University Belfast, will spend a year at Maryville College, while Paul (20), a Law student at Queen’s, will be heading to Martin Methodist College.

They will be joined by 53 other students from across Northern Ireland on the prestigious scholarship programme, which enables students to study business and management for a year in American colleges, across 34 States.

Through the initiative, it is hoped they will gain valuable international experience and business knowledge, helping to develop their career prospects when they return to Northern Ireland.

The British Council, which is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations, manages Study USA on behalf of the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL).

Speaking about the programme, David Alderdice, Director of British Council Northern Ireland, said: “Study USA is a great way for local students to boost their core employability skills and gain invaluable experience working in an international setting.

“Most importantly, our students will have a chance to build links with counterparts in the United States that will last a lifetime.”