26 April 2007.

SECRETARY OF STATE FOR EDUCATION SEES SUCCESS OF STAFFORD COLLEGE FIRST HAND
Yesterday (Wednesday 25 April) Secretary of State for Education, Alan Johnson MP, visited Stafford College to see for himself the success of the College.   

Stafford’s Labour MP, David Kidney was present to hear the Secretary of State praise the Principal, Steve Willis, on his success:

“Alan Johnson was very impressed with the runaway successes of the College in its performances on recruitment and educational achievement. These have recently been acknowledged in two separate independent inspections. The Secretary of State also noted that the College has recently won local “Service First” Awards for customer care.

“I asked Alan Johnson to visit the College because it means something to staff to have their achievements recognized. Alan was shown around the College by the Principal and he was able to meet a good number of students and staff.

“But not everything is rosy in Further Education currently, and Steve Willis was also able to tackle the Secretary of State about changes he would like to see. These include more help for adult recreational courses where a Government shift in focus (towards young students and vocational qualifications) has resulted in higher fees for some courses, which has caused a fall-off in students numbers.

“We also had a very useful discussion about Train to Gain funding for work-focused training. This is fairly new, but currently the West Midlands is the best performing region for Train to Gain. And within the region, Staffordshire is the best performing area. Steve Willis and I are about to hold a second Train to Gain seminar for local employers.”