Lyn Brown MP says

 "Use our local colleges to get on in life"

During the first ever National Colleges Week Labour MP, Lyn Brown encouraged people to improve their job prospects in the current economic climate by taking up training to learn new skills or brush up on existing ones.

This follows research published showing that that people who invest time to gain a college qualification can expect to see a 10 per cent return on their investment in the long term.  This is more than most ISA accounts and shows the value of learning new skills.

As part of Colleges Week, the West Ham MP visited local college, Newham Sixth Form (NewVIc) Lyn Brown met new Principal Eddie Playfair and had a tour of the college’s excellent facilities at its Plaistow site on Prince Regent Lane. Later, Lyn Brown joined First Diploma dance students as they embarked on a new project. The students were very happy to meet Lyn and demonstrate their newly learned dance routine.

 Eddie said of the occasion:

“I was delighted to welcome Lyn Brown to NewVIc as part of the UK’s first Colleges Week and we really value the support of our local MPs. NewVIc is one of the largest sixth form colleges in London and has an excellent record of success with over 700 students progressing to university every year.  We were able to give Lyn an update on our future plans and she met some performing arts students and saw them developing a new dance piece.”

Lyn Brown MP said:

“I was delighted to celebrate National Colleges week at Newham Sixth Form College. Their fantastic record is a testimony to their commitment to improving the opportunities of all their students”.

I think its brilliant that the government has chosen to devote an entire week to celebrating the success of our colleges, because they quietly get on with making a huge impact to people’s lives.

“With 8 million adults already saying they want to improve their skills, I’d encourage people in West Ham to think about whether taking up a college course could help them get the skills they need to get on in these tough economic times.”

Skills Secretary John Denham said:

 “Research like this shows that many people are looking at ways to change their lives.  In these challenging times, Labour has made radical changes to and unprecedented investment in the training and skills system to allow more people than ever before to fulfil their potential and realise their aspirations.

“Colleges play a vital role in this. They not only train people so they can get a job or get on at work, they give people the opportunity to enjoy a much loved pastime and improve people’s basic skills, such as literacy, so they can lead a fuller life.

Over 300 colleges across England are involved in helping people gain qualifications while they are at work through the Government’s Train to Gain service. Today a high-profile Government advertising campaign kicks off to promote the benefits of training to small businesses to help them survive the credit crunch – by giving every employee the skills to succeed. 

Ends

•Notes to editors

1. Research commissioned as part of the first ever Colleges Week shows that more than 8 million adults in England are preparing to ‘skill up’ over the next year. One in five adults (21 per cent) have pledged to gain further qualifications over the next 12 months and a third (31 per cent) to upgrade their skills during the economic downturn. 

2. The new research commissioned by the Association of Colleges has found that 8.4 million people switched career in the last three years with 3.2 million planning to do so over the next year.

The research also shows that money also comes into the equation as 38 per cent intent on returning to learning want to increase their earning power. But it is not just about the money - one in 10 of those planning further qualifications (13 per cent) said they felt like they were on the wrong life path and wished they had made different decisions about their education and career

 Colleges highlight at a local, regional and national level this success and what colleges can do for individuals, communities and the world of work. The first ever Colleges Week is held from 10-16 November and focuses on five themes demonstrating the impact colleges have on developing skills, delivering excellence, building strong communities, helping businesses to succeed and transforming lives.

4. For more information please visit www.collegesweek.org