Peter was joined by the CITB's Strategy and Policy Director, Adrian Beckingham, along with the DfE's Industry Board Sponsor, Larissa Cesar, and several of the college's employer partners.
The event began at our Bromley Campus, with a welcome given by Group Principal and CEO, Dr Sam Parrett CBE and a presentation from college leaders. This included discussion about ways the CITB, Government and FE can better collaborate to meet industry need.
A tour of the Technology Block followed, with guests talking to students and finding out more about their training experiences.
Awards were then presented to five employers, who have, and continue to, support the college and its students. Keltbray, Erith Group, Complete Fixings, Rydon Group and PIB Contractors are committed to helping train the next generation of construction experts and received Gold Employer Award certificates from London & South East Education Group Chairman, Stephen Howlett CBE, DL.
In addition, College Fellowships were conferred on an apprenticeship trailblazer group - who have been instrumental in supporting the strategic development of the demolition standard. Ian Kirk, Howard Button and Lesley Ransome from the National Federation of Demolition Contractors and the National Demolition Training Group were recognised for their outstanding individual contributions.
The visitors then travelled to our construction-specialist campus - Holly Hill in Bexley. They toured the facilities and spoke to students. Former demolition apprentice and AoC Apprentice of the Year Award winner, Sarah Stockley, gave an inspiring speech about her experiences in the construction industry.
Group Principal and CEO, Dr Sam Parrett CBE, said: "Our partnerships with industry are absolutely crucial to ensuring every curriculum we offer is relevant.
Today's event was a great opportunity to discuss ways we can improve this collaboration - and ways we can use existing structures like LSIPs to drive innovation and positive change.
"The quality of our construction provision has been recognised externally and we are proud to showcase this. We were awarded Hub status as part of the Mayor of London's Construction Academy and also won a Queen's Anniversary Prize for our pioneering 'Construction Skills Generator', which helped support housing ambitions in greater London in partnership with many stakeholders.
"It was great to show Peter, Adrian and Larissa around our campuses and for them to hear directly from our students about their experiences. With this visit taking place in National Apprenticeship Week, we have also been able to highlight the real value of high-quality vocational training routes and the many opportunities available.
"I am also delighted to have recognised some of our dedicated employer partners with Gold Awards and conferred three individuals with College Fellowships. This reflects our gratitude for the support they give and our joint commitment to skills development both now and in future."
Speaking about his visit, Peter Lauener CB added:
"Today's visit to London South East Colleges has been fascinating. It is very encouraging to see such good collaboration with employers from the construction industry and an FE provider.
"My colleagues and I enjoyed talking to students. We were impressed to see the effort that goes into supporting these students to progress into apprenticeships and the college's commitment to ensuring apprentices have the full range of skills needed to secure their qualifications successfully.
"It was also fantastic to see employers being recognised with awards and fellowships. This is a very constructive way of valuing the contribution these businesses are making; they are all great ambassadors for the construction industry.
"The construction industry offers so many great career opportunities, and it's imperative that young people are aware of this and supported in high-quality training. It's very encouraging to see such training in action, and I wish all the learners and apprentices the best of luck in their future careers."
SN