A RURAL high school student is preparing for a six-week visit to India.

Andy James, 18, who is finishing his year as head boy at Bishop Heber High in Malpas, is one of a group of students selected by the British Council to visit the sub-continent as part of the Prime Minister’s Global Fellowship.

Andy has attended a briefing session at the Shell headquarters in London, where he was given the itinerary for the visit and had the chance to meet other students who will travel with him.

The group will fly to New Delhi at the end of this month.

For the first two weeks of their visit they will take part in a language and culture immersion course.

This will cover language modules in Hindi as well as the study of Indian history, politics, economy, culture, religion and arts.

There will be visits to historical and religious monuments, including the Taj Mahal.

Andy will then be placed in a school in Mumbai, where he will complete a research project.

He will stay with a host family.

The third part of the visit will take him to Bangalore, Asia’s fastest growing cosmopolitan city.

There he will be the guest of a global business and will have a placement with either Tesco, Shell, HSBC, Ernst & Young, KPMG or Group 4.

This will give him an insight into the company’s operations and corporate social responsibility activity in India.

He will also gain a taste of the business skills required in a global market economy.

A final farewell event will be held in New Delhi before the group returns home.

“I am looking forward to a challenging visit and what should be the chance in a lifetime to experience the Indian culture and business,” said Andy.

“I am thrilled to have been selected by the British Council and aim to make the most of this opportunity.”

The scheme has been created to nurture outstanding talent and enterprise through international exposure to different countries.