Developing the creators, the innovators, the leaders of the future

It’s been a very hectic – and rewarding – month at Themis at Burnley College.

I’ve been fielding text messages from friends and colleagues asking questions like “Where are you?”, “What country are you in?”, “Are you down in Westminster again?”

It’s testament to everything Themis stands for. To be at the forefront of industry we must always be pushing boundaries in education, and pushing ourselves and our learners to journey beyond the walls of Burnley College and out into global industry.

The month started with us celebrating the incredible achievements of our apprentices and their employers at our Inspire and Achieve Awards.

We heard from Grace Francis, an exceptional degree apprentice at HycAero. She spoke of being invited to Downing Street to meet secretary of state for education Gillian Keegan at a Skills Champion reception.

Head of Themis Hannah Cutler and I were also invited back to Westminster this week to the finals of the National Skills Championships.

A team of dedicated T Level students, apprentices and I ventured to Safran Nacelle’s Le Havre facility to learn from their global aerospace experts.

And this is how much we believe in the power of apprentices: our very own marketing degree apprentice Alex Gill accompanied us and provided amazing social media coverage.

We feel so much pride seeing a multitude of Themis apprentices heading out into the world of industry in professions from engineering to marketing, early years care to sport and fitness, and delivering exceptional results again and again.

We know we are developing the creators, the innovators, the leaders of the future right here in the heart of Burnley.

I’ve just returned from Birmingham’s ICC Annual Apprenticeship Conference which brought together 1,400 industry leaders, educators and policymakers from across the UK to discuss and share best practices, celebrating the power of apprenticeships in shaping the future of our workforces.

A colleague said to me: “You can tell Burnley College is the best college for apprenticeships. While most organisations have got one person, you’ve got eight!”

Our calendar doesn’t look like it will be clearing soon. But with all this success, here’s to another hectic month!