Sandwell College was delighted to welcome Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer and Liam Byrne MP to the campus on Monday 26 April.
Sir Keir and Liam met with Principal Graham Pennington and members of the senior leadership team, alongside students, staff and support teams from across the College.
On an extensive tour of the site, Sir Keir and Liam had the opportunity to see the College’s state of the art facilities first-hand. On visiting our Construction and Motor Vehicle workshops, they spoke to both staff and students and even undertook a number of practical challenges under the watchful eye of teaching staff – with Sir Keir repairing a car tyre, changing a spark plug and testing out welding equipment. He also presented certificates to Sandwell College automotive students, to recognise their achievement.
Sir Keir and Liam later met with students benefitting from the College’s extensive Mental Health support services, as well as our traineeship and KickStart programmes which are designed to provide young people with the essential skills, training and practical experience needed to pursue their future careers.
The tour concluded with Sir Keir and Liam fielding questions from an A Level Politics class, giving them an important opportunity to speak to students directly and listen first-hand to the issues and challenges facing young people today.
Graham Pennington, Principal of Sandwell College, comments: “We were delighted to welcome Sir Keir Starmer and Liam Byrne to the College. It is our absolute commitment to provide the highest levels of education, skills and training opportunities to our students and today was a fantastic opportunity to showcase the achievements of our young learners, and the dedication of our teaching and support staff.
“It has been an incredibly difficult 12 months for young people, who have faced unprecedented disruption to their learning journey. But I’m incredibly proud of every student and the dedication they have shown to their studies and training. We know the positive difference quality education can make to young people’s lives, and it’s crucial to provide the next generation with the opportunities, training and support they need to excel in their chosen field.”
For more information about Sandwell College, visit our home page: www.sandwell.ac.uk
