Projects Abroad receives LOtC Quality Badge

We pride ourselves in the quality of our trips. This includes the educational opportunities they provide, their impact within the communities we work and the high level of safety and security we offer to our volunteers.

Because of this, we’ve been successfully awarded the Quality Badge from the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC)! Earning this badge is no easy feat but it highlights our commitment to producing high-quality school group trips. It reflects the dedication and professionalism of our staff all over the world.

The Quality Badge is an accreditation recognising organisations that provide high-quality educational experiences that champion teaching and learning in places other than the classroom. This certification means that we have passed a thorough assessment of our programmes and processes, which are deemed to meet the learning and risk management needs of schools. This is an excellent industry standard and a high bar to reach.

The assessment is carried out by the Expedition Providers Association (EPA). They are the peak body in the United Kingdom for establishing and maintaining standards in care and planning for school programmes, both domestic and overseas.

Although a UK based accreditation, its award reflects high standards in planning and management of educational and service travel programmes which are applicable to all schools.

On top of receiving this award, we’ve been inducted as a member of the EPA. The purpose of which is to help schools identify good quality and safe educational service programmes. In the UK the Department of Education recommends all schools look for an organisation with this distinction.

We’ve received many accreditations throughout our 27-year history but the LOtC Quality Badge holds particular distinction as it emphasises both provider safety and educational merit.

We continuously work to ensure the safety of our volunteers when they’re overseas. Here are a few of the things we take into consideration:

Safe and secure countries

We only send volunteers to places that are safe and politically stable. We constantly monitor government travel advice regarding safety and stability.

Local staff on the ground

We believe our in-country support to be unparalleled. Every single one of the countries we work in has at least one Projects Abroad office with thoroughly vetted, full time, local staff.

The advantage of hiring people from the community, aside from helping local families, is that the local knowledge gained over the years of living in the area is invaluable and can’t be taught. This knowledge is then applied to not only keep our volunteers and staff safe but to also enhance your trip.

Our staff are trained to follow best practice procedures, including monitoring, security, and emergency procedures. They strive to ensure the trip runs smoothly and are on-call 24/7 in case of an emergency.

This year we’ve welcomed several schools on their first educational service programmes with us including community development work in Fiji and Cambodia, a biology field trip to Madagascar and conservation work in Kenya.

To discuss any plans you might have, please get in touch with our office in Adelaide.