Skills Minister visits Loughborough College during National T Levels Week
The Minister for Skills, Rt Hon Baroness Smith, visited Loughborough College during this year’s National T Levels Week, meeting students, alumni and employer partners, and seeing first-hand how technical education is preparing young people for successful careers.
Accompanied by Loughborough College Group Chair of Governors Stephen Smith, Group CEO Corrie Harris, and MP for Loughborough Jeevun Sandher, Baroness Smith began the day in the College's state-of-the-art T Levels Centre, a dedicated teaching space designed to support students studying T Level programmes.
Baroness Smith then visited T Level Health, Education and Media departments to meet students and observe practical sessions delivered in partnership with key industry professionals, showcasing the close links between education providers and employers, and the important role these partnerships play in preparing students for the workplace.
This visit coincided with the launch of the new T Level in Sport, Physical Activity and Health, and provided an opportunity to discuss the future of technical education within the sport sector, with the Minister seeing first-hand how Loughborough College's industry-leading sports facilities and employer partnerships create pathways into successful careers.
A highlight of the visit was a tour of the College's renowned sport and physical activity facilities, where Baroness Smith observed training sessions involving a number of elite and community sports programmes. Activities taking place included training sessions for British Handball, the British American Football Association, Leicester Tigers rugby, girls' rugby and basketball.
During the visit, the Minister spoke with a number Loughborough College students, alumni and employers about the benefits of T Levels and how they equip young people with the practical skills and hands-on experience needed to succeed in the workplace.
Among those the Minister met was college alumnus and gold medal-winning para-athlete Thomas Young, who shared how a T Level could have supported his ambition to pursue a career in teaching if it had been available at the time.
These conversations demonstrated how the qualification, expert teaching and state-of-the-art facilities offered at Loughborough College are supporting students’ development and progression into further study and employment.
Minister Smith, said: “T Levels are giving young people more high-quality routes to match their talents and ambitions, while providing a stronger connection to the careers and industries shaping our economy through high-quality technical learning and real workplace experience.
“This week is a chance to celebrate that in action, and meeting students at Loughborough is living proof of how technical education prepares young people for life beyond the classroom.
“Expanding T Levels into areas including Sport, Physical Activity and Health, and Social Care, will give even more young people the chance to discover and develop their talents, opening doors to further study, apprenticeships and skilled careers.”
Corrie Harris, CEO of Loughborough College Group, added "It was a pleasure to welcome Baroness Smith to Loughborough College during National T Levels Week and to showcase the outstanding work taking place across our T Level programmes. We are proud of the impact these programmes are having and of the strong employer partnerships that help bring this learning to life."
The visit highlighted the important role T Levels continue to play in developing the skilled workforce of the future and reinforced Loughborough College Group’s commitment to delivering high-quality technical education aligned to employer needs.