Gavin Williamson MP, Secretary of State for Education, enjoyed a tour of the new state of the art STEM centre when he visited New College Durham on Friday 31 January.
Mr Williamson toured the College accompanied by John Widdowson, Principal and Chief Executive of New College Durham, Vice Principal Dawn Fairlamb and other members of the Senior Executive Group.
As the College has been chosen to pilot T-Levels, the Secretary of State for Education discussed how the new qualifications will bring back advanced vocational and technical training and provide life-long skills for a new generation of workers. The Minister was also interested in discovering how further education colleges can fill the skills gap and was impressed with New College’s ability to respond to the local market.
During his visit, Mr Williamson also took time to look around the College’s Heath and Social Care ward simulator and the Media and Digital Suite.
Mr Williamson said: “It was absolutely inspiring to see the opportunities available to young people at New College Durham and there are more on the way as the College is set to become an Institute of Technology and will start offering T Levels later this year.”
John Widdowson, Principal and Chief Executive of New College Durham, said: “I’m delighted to present our fantastic new STEM centre to Mr Williamson. The state-of-the-art building showcases the investment we have made in updating our facilities to meet the needs of the local economy.”
In 2019, New College Durham was chosen as a lead applicant for the 12 successful Institutes of Technology and the College will be piloting the new T-Level qualification from September 2020.
