This week has seen me undertake a real mix of activities. After fulfilling my Parliamentary duties at the start of the week, I arrived back in Burnley slightly earlier than usual. And education has been front and centre.
This will hardly be the first time you have heard me speak about this topic; it’s vitally important for us here in Burnley and Padiham. And so, through another visit to Burnley College this week I was able to speak with their Uniformed Public Service Lecturer. There’s a steady flow of those undertaking this course moving into public service which includes Lancashire Constabulary. Maximising their recruitment uplift programme with local students is deeply encouraging. Yet more can always be done.
That’s why I’ve committed to Q&A sessions for at the College, getting the Police and Crime Commissioner to visit, alongside expanding my Parliamentary coach trip to encompass trips specifically for younger people. Those studying need all the support we can provide and locally it’s down to the teamwork we can and are providing.
All of this ties in nicely with the School Tour I have been running across Burnley and Padiham. This has proved a real success and so it was great to extend it to St Andrew’s Church 5th Cub Scouts. What a brilliant set of children, led by dedicated volunteers who put on fun activities for our young people. I’d recommend any parent to take a look at what’s on offer. The mock parliament we ran recreated the House of Commons in an interactive learning experience which aims to teach the workings of Westminster. And you could see from the interactions the confidence of those involved growing as the session progressed. That’s what we must instil in the next generation - hard work and confidence.
Today I will be at St James Primary School conducting another one of these mock parliaments. I always love seeing how much the children get involved in these sessions and am looking forward to adding another school to the list of those visited.
Whilst it’s extremely valuable to play my part in pushing ambition and drive in our young people, investment does matter. And whether it’s the funding we’ve secured to build a brand new state-of-the-art university campus on Westgate, or the progress made to enhance Burnley College which has recently expanded and been made into one of 12 Institutes of Technology within the UK, we are heading in the right direction. My mission is clear; to keep our area on this positive path.
