Our work to bring together Further Education and Higher Education has been highlighted at the Labour Party annual conference.
We're working with colleges in County Durham to expand employment and apprenticeship opportunities, pilot T-level (Technical Level qualifications) placements, and improve progression routes for post-16 education.
This ongoing work was celebrated earlier this month in the launch of the Durham Learning Alliance, a partnership between ourselves, Bishop Auckland College, Derwentside College, East Durham College, and New College Durham.
The groundbreaking work celebrated at an event held at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool on Tuesday 23 September.
‘Brilliant’ work given national platform
In the UK, each of the major political parties holds an annual conference to discuss policies. This year, jointly with The Purpose Coalition, we hosted an event at the Labour Party conference. The event explored why Further Education and Higher Education need to collaborate to deliver the skills the country needs.
The event featured Shaid Mahmood, our Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion); Peter Swallow, a former researcher here at Durham and now a Labour MP; Rain Newton-Smith, Chief Executive of the Confederation of British Industries (CBI); and Caroline Wagstaff, Chief Executive of the London Market Group. It was chaired by Nick Forbes, Engagement Director at The Purpose Coalition.
Shaid discussed the Durham Learning Alliance work, which Ms Newton-Smith described as “brilliant”.
There was also discussion of nurturing a more collaborative ecosystem to address skills needs and how regional devolution might support this.
The event came a few days after we published, with The Purpose Coalition, the Breaking Down Barriers report, showcasing how we are contributing to enhancing social mobility.
We are also participating in the Conservative and Liberal Democrat party conferences.
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