Apprenticeships and Skills Minister visits Stoke on Trent College

Stoke on Trent College welcomed The Rt Hon Gillian Keegan MP, Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills, to its Cauldon campus last week (Wednesday, June 16, 2021) to discuss how the College has been supporting students throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

After a short meeting with College Principal Denise Brown, the Minister was taken on a tour of the College’s state-of-the-art Lifestyle Building accompanied by Stoke-on-Trent’s Conservative MPs Jonathan Gullis, Jo Gideon, and Jack Brereton.

The tour began in the College’s Lifestyle Salon, where the Minister was able to see first-hand how Hair and Beauty students hone their practical skills under the guidance of the College’s expert staff.

She then enjoyed light refreshments prepared by Catering students in the College’s top-class training restaurant, the Atrium, before meeting Childcare staff and students in the Skills Lab, which provides opportunities for hands-on learning using interactive babies and dummy care patients.

The visit provided a chance for students to demonstrate the technical and professional skills they are developing and discuss their future goals and career plans.

Senior leaders also outlined the College’s own ambitious plans, including the development of new cutting-edge facilities for Digital Construction at the Burslem campus, and a new Creative and Digital Media Centre at Cauldon.

Commenting on the visit, Stoke-on-Trent College Principal and Chief Executive Denise Brown said, “We were delighted to welcome the Rt Hon Gillian Keegan MP to Stoke-on-Trent College. The visit was a great opportunity for us to showcase the investment made in our superb, industry-standard facilities and applaud the huge efforts made by our staff to ensure students have the knowledge and skills they need to complete their training after what has been a difficult year for everyone.”

She added, “Stoke-on-Trent College has always had community at its heart, and this is a very exciting time for us as we continue to support local young people, adults and employers in the post-pandemic recovery and move into the next phase of our development.”

The Rt Hon Gillian Keegan MP commented, “Thank you to Stoke-on-Trent college for hosting local MPs Jo Gideon, Jonathan Gullis, Jack Brereton and myself, it was lovely to meet some of the fantastic students and hear how they have been supported to continue their learning throughout the pandemic. It was great to see their excitement for where their training will take them in the future and to see the college’s top-class, industry-standard training facilities, from culinary skills to hair and beauty. I also enjoyed meeting the childcare students Esam, Ruth and Angela and hearing how the college has helped them to overcome challenges in order for them to achieve their goals and progress to the next stage of their career journeys.”