Wirral Met College welcomed Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram to its Conway Park Campus on Wednesday 13th September 2017.
The Metro Mayor joined Principal Sue Higginson to meet students and staff at the Conway Park Campus and during his tour, he was able to see first-hand the impact of the College’s substantial investment in this campus. The campus is one of 30 projects that has benefitted from investment from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Skills Capital fund, providing new and improved learning facilities for people to train in the skills needed by local employers.
The Metro Mayor met students studying in the Visitor Economy including a visit to the College's training restaurant, hairdressing, beauty and complementary therapies’ salons and the travel and aviation suite. The College works in partnership with hundreds of employers and is the only college in the North West of England to hold the prestigious Swissport Academy status, granted by the world’s leading global airport and aviation service provider.
Wirral Met gained an outstanding rating from Ofsted for its support for students with high levels of need which includes a range of independent living skills to provide young people (aged 16-25) who have learning difficulties or disabilities, with the opportunity to develop their independence and skills for work. Many of these students met the Metro Mayor in the recently refurbished independent living suite.
Wirral Met provides students with unique opportunities to gain high quality work experience and the Metro Mayor explored how this approach is instrumental in equipping students with the skills to progress into successful careers across the growing Visitor Economy in the Liverpool City Region (which encompasses the wide range of industries supporting tourism including hotels, restaurants and bars, culture, entertainment and travel).
The Metro Mayor also had the opportunity to speak to students who have just started their ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) courses, many of whom will progress onto vocational courses to help them develop their career prospects in the Liverpool City Region.
Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor, said, “One of our biggest challenges in to ensure we are equipping our young people with the skills and qualifications that are aligned to the challenges and employment opportunities of tomorrow. I am continually impressed by the breadth and quality of what’s being delivered at Wirral College, both in terms of vocational training and broader life-skills. They are having life-changing and life-expanding impacts.”
Sue Higginson, Principal of Wirral Met said, “We were delighted to welcome the Metro Mayor to meet students who are developing their skills and expertise in the region's thriving Visitor Economy in order to contribute to the success of our economy and community'.