Today Richard Holden MP visited New College Durham with Principal Andy Broadbent and Vice Principal Alison Maynard, as they discussed access to Further Education (FE), funding for FE, provision of Maths and English in the college and access to apprenticeship places.
New College Durham is now licenced as the North East Institute of Technology, one of only 12 such institutes in the country. An Institute of Technology (IoT) is a collaboration between Further Education providers, universities and employers. As an IoT, New College Durham will specialise in delivering higher technical education (at Level 4 and 5) with a focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects, such as engineering, digital and construction.
The college welcomes hundreds of students from North West Durham. Mr Holden met students who, in partnership with Nissan, were working in on a new generation electric cars, like the Prius and robot operators including those working at Nissan. This particularly successful partnership comes as Nissan renewed its investment in Sunderland this summer, with Mr Holden visiting the factory alongside the Prime Minister and the Business Secretary.
The work New College Durham does is a key part of levelling up and will give young people across County Durham skills and chances which will carry them through their whole lives, without them ever having to leave where they grew up.
Commenting, Richard Holden MP said:
"The Prime Minister said it, we got Brexit done and now we are getting on with the job, levelling up. For North West Durham that means high skilled, well paid local jobs.
"Those jobs though do not always have to come at the end of university degrees or be in London. It was great to see the skill being taught in County Durham and I thank Paul and Alison for showing me around today. It is clear that for these young people, direct technical skills, which sets them up to learn and earn is a great way to get them working."
"Technical colleges, apprenticeships, further education, these are all a part of levelling up and I proud to be part of a Great Britain which is now training its young people to engineer our future."
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