Exeter College Principal and Chief Executive John Laramy CBE took part in a virtual roundtable with government ministers and other sector leaders as the Government published its Skills for Jobs White Paper.  

The White Paper, which focuses on revolutionising post-16 education for the benefit of businesses, learners and the wider community, was discussed with Education Secretary Gavin Williamson CBE MP and Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills Gillian Keegan MP.  

Discussions included how colleges could continue to innovate and work directly with businesses in order to meet the skills challenges of the future and set out a blueprint for a further education system that ensures everyone, at any point in their lives, can get the skills they need to work effectively in the economy of the future. 

In addition, the White Paper aims to create the right balance between Higher Education and Further Education. The strong partnership between the University of Exeter and Exeter College is perhaps a current example of this, with a Russell Group University and an Ofsted Outstanding College working together for the good of a city and region. 

The White Paper comes on the back of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s visit to Exeter College in 2020, where he set out his vision for a Lifetime Skills Guarantee, aiming to help adults get access to the education they need to retrain for a new career. 

Speaking after the virtual roundtable, John Laramy CBE said, “It was great to be able to have a discussion with government ministers as the further education sector takes centre stage with this White Paper. 

“It certainly feels like the voice of further education is being heard and the Government has acknowledged that for this country to bounce back from the pandemic, we need a vibrant, engaging and impactful further education system. 

“At Exeter College, we aim to operate at the heart of the community, working with schools, the University, councils and the Local Enterprise Partnership to make a difference to the lives of the people and businesses we serve. Hopefully this White Paper can help all colleges to be a real engine for social mobility, a driver for increasing productivity and have positive impact on prosperity.”  

Measures set out in the White Paper include plans for employers to have a central role in designing all technical courses by 2030, more flexible student finance for learners to be able to retrain throughout their lives and boosting the uptake of Higher Technical Qualifications.  

Find out about the new South West Institute of Technology Digital and Data Centre, which is set to be completed in the coming months.

Exeter College students raised almost £5,000 for their nominated charities during the 2019/20 academic year, with both Exeter Foodbank and Cancer Research UK receiving £2,479.34 each. 

The funds had been raised across the previous academic year with a variety of student and cross-college events raising money for the incredibly worthwhile causes. 

The Exeter College Students’ Union takes an active role in fundraising activities, and students and staff from across the College voted for Exeter Foodbank and Cancer Research UK to be the recipients of the efforts. 

Exeter College Deputy Head of Student Experience Megan Snell said, “We’re incredibly proud of all our students for raising a huge amount of money for these two charities. 

“The last academic year had some challenges but to raise such a great amount of money during the course of the year is a testament to the students’ hard work and dedication to supporting both Exeter Foodbank and Cancer Research UK.”  

The Manager of Exeter Foodbank, Mark Richardson, said, “The support that we received from Exeter College was amazing. At a time when our work was constantly expanding, the support of local groups has been greatly appreciated. We have seen numbers of clients regularly increasing as we have battled against the economic impacts of Coronavirus.  

“The week before Christmas, we served nearly 400 clients! Without the support of places like Exeter College, we could not do this work, and support so many people. Thank you.” 

Students get involved in fundraising throughout their time with Exeter College, with community-focused projects embedded in full time students’ Personal Development Programme while studying with the College.  

Megan added, “We always try to help our students lead on projects like this, so they can truly contribute to things that matter to them. That’s why we let students and staff vote for the charities we’ll be fundraising for throughout the year and let students find ways to help raise money for them, whether that’s through bake sales, charity events and other activities.”  

The College’s charities for the 2020/21 academic year are Devon Air Ambulance and Children with Cancer UK and fundraising is already well underway.

Exeter College Principal and Chief Executive John Laramy has been awarded a CBE in the New Year’s Honours List in recognition of his services to education.

John, who has been with Exeter College for twelve years, has successfully led the College and sustained its status as one of the very best colleges in the country. The College continues to win various awards and in his first year as Principal, it was ranked as the top college in the country by one of the sector newspapers, FE Week. In fact, in the five years the paper has ranked every college in the country, Exeter has never been outside of the top 5. The College was named STEM FE College of the Year in 2018, City & Guilds Centre of the Year 2016 as well as a Sunday Times Top 100 best not-for-profit organisations to work for in 2019. 

John said, “I am thrilled, delighted and humbled to have been awarded this honour. Education changes lives and it certainly changed my life. 

“I am fortunate that I work in a sector that exists to try and make everyone’s tomorrow better than today. Education is a team sport, so I would like to thank all of those who have contributed to this honour, including all of those that I have worked with during my career, thus far, and the students who make further education the special sector that it is.” 

During John’s time as Principal at Exeter College since 2016, he has overseen exceptional success across the College’s curriculum offer and spearheaded innovative projects to help the region become recognised as a sector leader in further education. This has included significant recent multi-million-pound investments in exceptional facilities for the region’s learners, including a Gym and Dance Studio, Advanced Engineering Centre and construction on a new Digital and Data Centre that is set to be completed in the coming months.  

John continued, “I would also like to thank my wife, Donna, whose fantastic support means that I’m able to contribute to the wider success of the sector such as Chairing the Tertiary Colleges Group and working with the Education Training Foundation at the Oxford’s Said Business School in relation to leadership development in further education. I’ve also been immensely proud to have had a hand in helping to establish one of the two first specialist maths schools in England. 
 
“Finally, I would like to thank whomever put me forward for this honour and the special awards panel who make a recommendation to the Prime Minister and the Queen – it has certainly provided a massive lift to the start of 2021.” 

Exeter College Chair of the Board of Governors David Allen OBE said, “I am delighted that John’s terrific commitment to Exeter College, and education more widely, has been recognised with a CBE and I offer him my warmest congratulations. 

“As a Board of Governors, we are enormously proud of John’s leadership of the College and his many achievements. He has successfully overseen the development of Exeter College in to one of the leading organisations for further education in the country and has been a true advocate of continuing to develop the education landscape for the benefit of learners, businesses and our communities. 

“When combined with the award of a knighthood to his predecessor Richard Atkins, this has been an exceptional start to 2021 for Exeter College.” 

In addition, former Exeter College Principal and current Further Education Commissioner Richard Atkins CBE has been awarded a knighthood for services to further education. Sir Richard Atkins, as he will now be known, was a very successful Principal at Exeter College from 2002 to 2016 and currently oversees the further education sector in England, helping to improve quality and sustainability of provision.  

Do you want to join Ofsted Outstanding Exeter College? Explore now, using the Virtual Exeter College Experience. The next Live Event date, where you can talk online directly with subject leaders, is available on Tuesday, 19^th January.