Following the success of the joint immersive course held in 2023, PGL Beyond and Evolve Advice have joined forces to bring a fully funded opportunity for Educational Visit Coordinators (EVCs).
The three day immersive training course will take place 12-14th November 2025 at Château d’Ebblinghem in Northern France, where NST (part of PGL Beyond) operates overseas educational trips. The course is open to EVCs and Visit Leaders of any experience level, from all schools in England and Wales.
This highly interactive version of EVOLVE Advice’s EVC Training embraces all the benefits of immersive learning that the sector champions for its students. As well as earning their EVC Certification, participants will encounter practical scenarios across typical school trip settings such as a ferry crossing, trips to popular sites and navigating the challenges of residentials.
This is the second occasion that PGL Beyond and EVOLVE Advice have come together to offer funded immersive training with the aim of elevating standards in the school trip sector.
“Educational Visits Coordinators play a vital role in ensuring the safety, quality, and educational value of school trips. At EVOLVE Advice, we believe that effective training should go beyond theory—and immersive learning offers a powerful way to bring training to life.
By working with PGL Beyond, we’re able to simulate the real-world experiences EVCs will encounter—whether it’s managing a ferry crossing, dealing with a delayed coach, or supporting students through unfamiliar environments. These realistic scenarios help build confidence, decision-making skills, and a deeper understanding of the EVC role.
We’re proud to partner with PGL Beyond again—our shared values and commitment to raising standards in educational visits make this collaboration a natural fit. Together, we’re providing not just training, but meaningful, hands-on development that empowers EVCs to lead safer, more enriching visits.”
According to Michelle Evans, Head of Schools Marketing at PGL Beyond both organisations felt it was crucial that finances not be a barrier to inclusion.
“We had an incredible response to the partially funded immersive training we delivered with EVOLVE Advice in 2023 and knew there was an appetite for another course,” Michelle said.
“However, we also know the reality of UK schools’ current financial situation. That’s why, this year, we are delighted to be able to offer this immersive training course fully funded in partnership with EVOLVE Advice. We firmly believe that collaborations such as this are necessary to support the sector and, where possible, eliminate barriers to raising standards and helping schools deliver the best experience possible.”
For more information and to register your interest, visit Immersive EVC Training (France) — EVOLVE Advice
About NST and PGL Beyond
As the UK’s largest educational tour operator, NST offers school travel to over 100 destinations, inspiring primary and secondary students across the UK. In addition to tours in destinations worldwide, NST also delivers annual LIVE! Student Conferences at Disneyland® Paris for KS4-5, covering topics from STEM, Media and Psychology.
NST is part of PGL Beyond – a network of brands comprising PGL, European Study Tours, and StudyLink Tours – dedicated to providing thousands of young people with transformative outdoor adventures and travel experiences.
About EVOLVE Advice
EVOLVE Advice provides educational visits advice and guidance to over 4,500 schools and educational settings in the UK and overseas. Their experienced Advisers also train teachers and school staff to help them deliver safe and memorable educational visits, supporting trips for over 5.5 million children and young people in 2024. www.evolveadvice.co.uk
