Loughborough College is supporting World Youth Skills Day 2018 with the message that education and training can transform lives.
The global event taking place on Sunday 15 July is celebrating its third birthday since the United Nations General Assemby designated the international day to raise awareness of the importance of investing in youth skills development.
Education watchdog Ofsted has rated Loughborough College outstanding for apprenticeships, the College works with more than 600 employers from the region and it is home to the award winning Bridge to Work as well as the Supported Internships scheme.
In doing this, the College not only helps improve skills for the workplace and confidence in the job market but also promotes and finds opportunities for work experience, apprenticeships and careers. The supported internship programme is also hailed as a great success, offering a way into work for young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
As the largest A-level provider of its kind in Leicestershire, Loughborough College has an enviable success rate and it received a Teaching Excellence Framework award for the quality of its degree level teaching. Alongside this it continues to build on its heritage, since its establishment in 1909, preparing learners for careers in engineering, accountancy, and service industries including travel and tourism, caring and public services, hospitality and hair and beauty.
Sport apprenticeship programmes delivered by the College see athletes representing their country on the national and international stage, breaking world records and scooping Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth medals.
Loughborough College pioneered the Space Engineering programme for 16-18 year olds in partnership with the National Space Academy – with the space industry supporting 70,000 jobs and growing faster than the rest of the UK economy.
And on the UK’s biggest FE college campus it has created a state of the art theatre; music, recording, dance and photography studios; art and textile facilities and digital design labs, all supporting progression into the creative industries – another of the UK’s top growth areas.
Loughborough College CEO John Doherty said: “World Youth Skills Day is a fantastic opportunity to highlight the life-changing impact of education and training.
“We are training more than 9,000 students from our area to up-skill or re-skill and, depending on their level of study, between 94 and 98% of those students are either in employment, further study or training within six months of leaving us.
“Our core belief at the College, which drives everything we do, is that we develop knowledge and skills, that we generate opportunities and that we improve lives and communities.”
Loughborough MP Nicky Morgan added: “Investing in the skills and education of every person in the UK is critical if we are to boost our productivity and to enable everyone to fulfil their potential.
“World Youth Skills Day is a chance to showcase our talented youngsters and I know just how committed everyone at Loughborough College is to every single student. It is a pleasure to support all their programmes but particularly Bridge to Work.”