CHIPPENHAM MP Michelle Donelan wants to give Wiltshire’s young people access to high quality education and skills training without them feeling they have to move out of the area to pursue their careers.

Speaking at the opening of the Swindon and Wiltshire Career's Hub annual conference, the Universities Minister said: “I want local young people to be able to access a quality further or higher education option that is right for them and their skills.

“I want them to be able to access a quality career path without feeling that they need to move out of our brilliant area in order to succeed. 

“We have a fantastic range of employers and industries locally, and the Careers Hub is a brilliant way we can link our local young people to these opportunities.”

Miss Donelan MP opened the Careers Conference amongst teachers, local employers and careers advisors with a keynote speech on Thursday (June 16) championing local skills and talent in our community.

The event was held at the recently-opened Business Cyber Centre at Greenways Business Park in Chippenham, made possible by £3.1 million of Government investment which the local MP helped to secure.

 The event was the first to take place in-person for the Careers Hub since the beginning of the pandemic. Miss Donelan added: “It was a pleasure to open the Careers Conference.

“Broadening skills and opportunities for our area is one of my passions, so it was fantastic to talk about exactly this and the work we are doing in this area."

Miss Donelan outlined the work she is pursuing locally as the MP for the Chippenham constituency, but also as the Minister of State for Further and Higher Education, with her ambition to improve access to opportunities, skills, and career advice and support, and get every young person onto the path that is right for them. 

The local MP also discussed recent Government investment in apprenticeships and reforms to T-Levels, broadening post-16 and post-18 options for young people. 

Careers Hubs are a Government initiative launched to offer young people access to quality careers advice, allowing people to make an informed decision about which education and careers option is right for them.

Two-thirds of state sector schools, special schools and colleges are now a part of a Careers Hub, like Swindon and Wiltshire, which is run through the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

 

Bringing together local young people and their schools with employers and local universities directly helps to ensure that students are receiving the best possible opportunities, something Miss Donelan has prioritised since was elected as the MP for the Chippenham constituency in 2015.