Colleges Week 2024

A message from Sean Mackney, Principal and CEO of North Devon College:

“This week is Colleges Week, a celebration of the transformative power of colleges across the nation to change lives and support employers to thrive and prosper. In a year when we’re expecting a general election, we need our parliamentary candidates to have a sharp focus on the benefits that colleges can bring. Businesses and communities in rural and coastal areas, such as our own, face particular challenges. Colleges are central to providing essential services, support for businesses, communities and learners to gain the skills they need to thrive.

Here at North Devon College we provide apprenticeships for businesses from basic levels through to degree level, we have T levels putting knowledge to work and we have higher technical qualifications to give you an edge in competitive markets. We’re involved in helping to grow new sectors such as clean marine and floating offshore wind, strengthen and support innovation in existing sectors such as health and care, and helping others to adapt such as in green construction.

If you’re talking to your parliamentary candidates on the doorstep, please ask them what they’re doing to help colleges support you, tell them that we love our colleges and we want the government to support them and we want our children, our employees and our businesses to get the full benefit of what colleges can bring to our communities.”

You can also view Sean’s message recorded on video.