Demand for skills
SEMLEP speaker Paul Thompson said there is a huge demand for skills from organisations in aerospace, food production and packaging, intelligent mobility (driver-less cars), the green economy – including “non-carbon” fuelled transport, health and care agri-tech, logistics and modern methods of construction – such as TopHat which has recently been in the national news.
“Parents need to understand that there are fantastic opportunities out there in careers which did not exist 20 years ago and their children can step into with the right skills,” said Paul.
He followed on from new Principal of Tresham College Robin Webber-Jones who brought together SEMLEP, the Association of Colleges and Heads of various departments across Tresham College for a curriculum update event.
Dynamic skills and learning
Robin wants to open the doors of Tresham College to employers and is well placed to do so, having worked on a multi-million pound apprenticeship scheme with Rolls-Royce in his previous role. He wants the college to focus on developing meaningful careers and supporting the progression of all students, ensuring people understand how valued the right skills and qualifications are in the 2020s.
“Our curriculum must be fit for those who are going to be working for the next 30 years, during which time there will be changes in the world of work we some of us can barely imagine. Our college has to give people those dynamic skills and learning stepping stones to keep ahead in employment,” said Robin,
“In the South East region (SEMLEP) there is demand for jobs in so many areas – many outside of logistics and IT but all require the right training corner-stone.”
The Association of Colleges (AoC) tuned in to the meeting with a detailed description of the work involved in keeping curriculums relevant and how T Levels (technical levels which include 100s of hours of work experience) were the way forward.
