Apprenticeships
I think it’s vital that every young person in Fareham is aware of the opportunities that are available to them. I believe apprenticeships don’t just enormously benefit the individual, giving them the opportunity to earn while they learn, but also wider society by enabling us to have a skilled workforce and by raising productivity in the businesses they join.
Locally, I am continuing to champion apprenticeships by hosting my annual apprenticeships fairs – connecting businesses, offering locals and national opportunities to the very talented young people we have here in Fareham. Since 2015, there have been 5,750 apprenticeship starts in Fareham.
At my last event, I was delighted to welcome around 200 young people from local schools, colleges and users of the Fareham Job Centre. On the day, people were able to meet and engage with a diverse range of employers. This included the following organisations: Office for National Statistics, Barclays, Platinum Care Solutions, Fareham College, Kiwi Education, City of Portsmouth College, Reach4Skills, Warsash Maritime School, Military Mentors, NATS, Safran, Caldera, Kelvion, Solent University, Showcase Training, The Estée Lauder Companies, Royal Army, Armorgard, Saab Seaeye Ltd, and Hampshire County Council Skills & Participation.
It was lovely to see so many friendly stallholders and current apprentices on hand to share their valuable experiences. It’s also great to hear of the success stories that have come out of the fairs. I recently met with people who had gained apprenticeships from one of my previous fairs and was delighted to see how they have flourished since deciding to do an apprenticeship. As such, it was fantastic to see that there were lots of opportunities offered on the day, with many more people registering interest for a variety of future positions.
If you are a local business and would like to participate in my next Apprenticeships, Skills and Jobs Fair, please do get in touch.
Fareham College
I am very supportive of the introduction of T-Levels. A few years ago, I was delighted to visit Fareham College with the Secretary of State for Education to unveil their new T-Level teaching facilities. Fareham College is an outstanding local institution, and these new developments typify the school’s forward-thinking and innovative ethos.
The introduction of T Levels represents an exciting opportunity for students to actively launch their desired careers by honing relevant industry skills that will place them in good stead post-education. The revamped facilities at Fareham College ensure that local students will benefit from the latest technological advancements and trade expertise.
SEND
On Monday 29th April 2024, I raised my concerns with the Education Minister about Labour’s cruel policy to add 20% to fees for independent schools, which will be incredibly damaging for our excellent SEND schools in Fareham like St. Francis’s and Heathfield School.
Speaking in the Chamber, I said:
“St Francis School and Heathfield School are two excellent special educational needs schools in Fareham, supporting a variety of children with conditions ranging from Down’s syndrome to epilepsy, but around the country there are 95,000 children at independent special educational needs schools. Does my hon. Friend agree that Labour’s misguided attack on independent schools will be harmful and punitive to vulnerable children all around the country?”
Michaela Community School
Michaela Community School is an excellent free school and I’m proud to have been involved in its set up as Chairman of Governors in 2014. I’ve been championing our Free Schools policy for years. I’ll keep doing so because I believe these schools improve the lives of children.
Thanks to the autonomy they enjoy, teachers are empowered to innovate in education. That’s how we raise standards for children.
And here’s the debate I led in Parliament a few years ago setting out how we get more out of free schools. If we want to improve educational outcomes and social mobility we need to build more Michaela’s around the country: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2019-06-19/debates/CBF61E6C-746E-4DB9-9FB2-8F3A65E5F9FF/FreeSchools