Prime Minister Boris Johnson took to the tools during a visit to Exeter College’s Construction Centre as part of his announcement of fresh investment in adult education and further education colleges across the country.  

The Prime Minister was led on a guided tour of the Construction Centre at the Sowton Industrial Estate and took part in the building of a wall and undertook some carpentry as he sampled one of the skills-based industries that will benefit from his reforms.   

“The college offers wide-ranging courses to over 10,000 students so they can get the skills local employers and our economy needs – with study options set to grow further when their new Digital and Data Centre opens next year.”

The Prime Minster Boris Johnson speaking at Exeter College

The visit was part of the Government’s announcement of a raft of new support for adult learners that will see adults without an A Level (or equivalent) qualification offered a fully funded college course, as well as fresh capital investment in to further education colleges across the country.  

As part of the visit, Boris Johnson spoke with the College’s Principal and Chief Executive John Laramy, Assistant Principal Sam Hillman and Director of Apprenticeships and Employer Engagement Mike Blakeley on the current wide range of courses offered by the College and how adult learners access courses with the College.  

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, “I was delighted to visit Exeter College today, and to hear from John [Laramy], Sam [Hillman], Mike [Blakeley] and others about the brilliant work being done to train their students and apprentices.  

“The college offers wide-ranging courses to over 10,000 students so they can get the skills local employers and our economy needs – with study options set to grow further when their new Digital and Data Centre opens next year. 

“As I set out earlier, the Lifetime Skills Guarantee will help even more adults and young people get into well paid work, get qualifications valued by employers, and learn the skills the economy needs to build back better from coronavirus.” 

Exeter College Principal and Chief Executive John Laramy said, “It was amazing having Boris Johnson to visit us. I’ve been with the College for 12 years and this is the first time we’ve ever hosted the Prime Minister and you could hear his passion for further education and skills during his time here. 

“I spoke with the Prime Minister about the education ecosystem in this area and how we work together with schools, the University of Exeter and local employers to make sure Exeter is the best that it can be.”  

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson also took some time to talk with businesses in the construction industry as part of his visit. He spoke with representatives from Taylor Wimpey, Travis Perkins, Coreus and MIDAS on how the latest changes to policy will help provide them with the workforce for the future.  

“I spoke with the Prime Minister about the education ecosystem in this area and how we work together with schools, the University of Exeter and local employers to make sure Exeter is the best that it can be.”

John Laramy, Principal and Chief Executive of Exeter College

John Laramy continued, “The Prime Minister spoke with businesses on how this new support will help them to get access to the skilled workers they need to excel and further improve productivity. It was great to see him being so passionate about how his policies could help the businesses that were around the table to help them bounce back from the pandemic and build back better going forward.” 

Responding to today’s policy announcements, John said, “We’re really pleased about his announcement today. It’s great to see skills and further education centre stage as a key plank of this government strategy. It’s clear this government is starting to invest in further education and skills and that can only be good for the country and colleges in the future.”