Boris Johnson MP joined staff, students and employers during Apprenticeship Week events at Uxbridge College.

The MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip and British Prime Minister toured the college’s Uxbridge campus, meeting students, staff and employer partners. The tour included classes and workshops with Apprentices in Accountancy, Electrical Installation, Electrical Engineering & Electronics, and Motor Vehicle Maintenance.

Mr Johnson chatted to the Apprentices about their experiences at college and with their employers, emphasising the importance of all their skills areas to the UK economy. He also got a chance to meet students from some of the college’s wide range of vocational and academic courses.

Mr Johnson said: “I was delighted to be able to visit Uxbridge College again to meet with staff and some of the students studying for apprenticeships in a range of areas including Electrical Installation, Electrical Engineering & Electronics and Motor Vehicle Maintenance. It was great to hear of their exciting plans for the future, in particular the work around the newly launched West London Institute of Technology – one of only 12 in the UK. These new Institutes of Technology will be the pinnacle of technical training – new collaborations between universities, colleges and businesses to make sure young people have the skills they need to start a productive and rewarding career. Uxbridge College has a key role to play in training up the workforce of the future as we look to drive forward a nationwide infrastructure revolution.”

Dr Darrell DeSouza, Group Principal of Uxbridge College and HCUC, said: “Uxbridge College is very pleased to have received this visit from Boris Johnson during Apprenticeship Week with the chance to introduce him to some of our fantastic apprentices and share some of our most recent developments with him. It was a very enjoyable visit and a valuable opportunity to share both our successes and to discuss some of the challenges being faced by further education with him.”

Staff also briefed the MP on key projects at the college, including the West London Institute of Technology, as well as discussing some of the major issues in national education and skills policy. West London Institute of Technology, which is part of the merged college group HCUC and based at the Uxbridge campus, is one of just 12 licenced nationally to provide higher level education and training in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths) subjects and which will include Apprentices and Higher level Apprentices. The Institute opened in September 2019, and the £8.6m redevelopment programme of new facilities is due to be completed by the autumn. HCUC is also the only college group in London to be offering the new T Levels - ‘Technical Levels’, which are equivalent to A Levels and include an extended industry placement - from September 2020.

For photos of the visit go to https://www.facebook.com/pg/uxbridgecollege/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10157450240020283