Minister at Blackpool college to learn about skills

Apprenticeships, careers and skills for the workers of the future were the subject if the day at Blackpool and The Fylde College.
Bev Robinson, Principal and Chief Executive of Blackpool and The Fylde College; RT Hon Robert Halfon MP and Michael Coleman, Head of School for Engineering and Computing.Bev Robinson, Principal and Chief Executive of Blackpool and The Fylde College; RT Hon Robert Halfon MP and Michael Coleman, Head of School for Engineering and Computing.
Bev Robinson, Principal and Chief Executive of Blackpool and The Fylde College; RT Hon Robert Halfon MP and Michael Coleman, Head of School for Engineering and Computing.

The college’s Advanced Training Centre at Bispham played host to the Minister of State for Education Robert Halfon who was visiting the resort.

He met Bev Robinson principal and CEO of the College, to discuss technical education and talk about technical training and education as part of the Government’s drive to support young people and adults to secure skilled employment which meets the needs of the economy.

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Students and employers from across the region were on hand to highlight the challenges to apprenticeships, levy and skills in general.

The rest of the day the minister talked to businesses linked to the National Career Service including the College’s Build Up programme where he met students.

Robert Halfon said: “I am delighted to have been able to meet the students and staff at Blackpool and The Fylde College today. They are truly working towards giving young people a ladder of opportunity so they can achieve their dream careers.”

Bev Robinson said: “We welcome the RT Hon Robert Halfon in the first few months of his appointment as Minister of State for Education. Blackpool and The Fylde College provides technical education and training that businesses need to develop a skilled workforce. The Minister has been able to speak to employers and students about these programmes and the impact they have had.”

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Meanwhile, the college has been granted Foundation Degree Awarding Powers following detailed scrutiny by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education.

It means that the college can now award its own foundation degrees.

It builds on its history supporting business and industry and serving the community and region.

Only six general further education colleges in the UK currently have these powers.

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These awarding powers give it greater flexibility over the programmes which it creates alongside employer partners to develop the workforce which they need to drive their business forward.

The College will continue it’s almost 25 year-long partnership with Lancaster University, a top ten UK university, both to provide progression on to honours and to continue their very successful collaborations around key developments such as Project Management, Aerospace and Nuclear Degree Apprenticeships.”