A GOVERNMENT Minister visited Bradford College yesterday to see how the college helps its students into work.

Anne Milton MP, the Minister of State for Skills and Apprenticeships, toured the college’s Northern Dental Education Centre and met apprentices.

Dawn Leak, Director of Employer Responsiveness at the college, said: “The visit gave us the opportunity to showcase our fantastic employers and apprentices in the region and discuss some of the challenges the college faces in the current climate. We are working with our employers on a daily and weekly basis to understand and address their needs. Apprenticeships are a cornerstone of the education and training delivered by Bradford College and we see greater opportunities to work with employers as a key part of our future development.”

Judith Cummins, Bradford South MP, said: “It was a really positive day and a great chance to show the Minister the excellent work that Bradford College does engaging with employers.

“I wanted to invite Anne here to showcase the work we do and highlight some of the issues that we uniquely face in Bradford.”

Anne Milton said: “I can’t thank Bradford College enough for making good use of my time – making sure I heard concerns they have got, what they would like to be different and also hearing what commitment there was to make Bradford College one of the best in the country.”

Bradford College has 30 years’ experience delivering apprenticeships.

The college works with more than 1,000 employers in a range of industries and is the leading provider in Bradford in supporting 16-18 years old into apprenticeships.

Over 98% of Bradford College apprentices who complete their apprenticeship secure sustained employment.

During her day with Bradford College, Anne Milton visited dental practice Dentistry at BD4 and spoke to two apprentice dental nurses and the practice manager.

She then visited AESSEAL, a seal manufacturer, where she spoke to engineering apprentices and supervisors and managers.

Her final visit was to Bradford College where she toured the NORDEC (Northern Dental Education Centre - the £500,000 dental training facility at Bradford College part-funded by the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership) and spoke with learners then dined at the college’s student-run restaurant, The Grove, where she chatted with students and tutors.