Loughborough College CEO John Doherty welcomed CBI President Paul Drechsler to an event celebrating the region and calling for action to help boost its success.
At the College-hosted audience with regional business leaders, students also had the opportunity to cook and serve the evening meal and to host their own art exhibition.
In his final address in the region as CBI President, Paul Drechsler highlighted the success of companies in the East Midlands while calling on business, government and local authorities to work better in partnership to bring the Midlands together and turbo-charge economic success. “If we use the know-how of local people, the drive of business and the energy of our political leadership, imagine what this would do to our productivity and to regional inequality”.
Loughborough College CEO John Doherty said: “I am proud to be at the helm of this wonderful college” and laid out a call for action.
“At Loughborough College we believe we have a responsibility to impact positively on the lives of our learners. Part of that is offering those learners the best possible opportunities and prospects for further study or employment - and working with employers supports us in that.
“If you as employers continue working with Further Education – helping Loughborough College bridge the vital skills gap… local and regional businesses are enhanced and the economy thrives… and that not only positively impacts the lives of our learners, it positively impacts on us all.”
John Doherty added: “We are training more than 9,000 students from this area to up-skill and re-skill. We are one of only four colleges in the whole country who have been rated Outstanding by Ofsted for our apprenticeships and we work with more than 650 SMEs and large employers across the East Midlands, providing training and apprenticeships which enable those companies to thrive.
“I am now pleased to be part of the CBI’s Regional Council and value the opportunity to continue developing a productive relationship between business and further education in the region.”
Pictured: Loughborough College CEO John Doherty (right) with CBI President Paul Drechsler