Virendra Sharma MP Visits Southall Community College

Virendra Sharma MP for Ealing Southall, visited Southall Community College to meet students and talk to them about his experiences of education in the area.

Mr Sharma shared his inspirational journey, from arriving in the UK speaking very little English, to working as a bus conductor, to his election as Member of Parliament. He visited a mixture of classes and took part in a question and answer session with Class Reps.

Staff across the college spoke to Mr Sharma about the work the college has been doing recently, including Richard Eastmond, Executive Director of People and Organisational Development, who spoke to him about Race Equality Week, which took place in mid-February. During the week, we launched our #MyNameIs campaign, encouraging staff and students in our community to share how they prefer to be known, including how their name is pronounced, and their pronouns.

In addition, Mr Sharma was shown where the college’s new construction and green skills academy will be housed. Construction growth in the UK reached its highest level for over two decades in June 2021 (HIS Markit/CIPS UK) and is expected to grow by an average of 2.5% between 2022 and 2025, with an anticipated need for an additional 216,800 construction employees by 2025. The new academy, due to open in 2023, will provide high-quality construction and green skills training to provide the communities of Southall and Ealing with a clear line of sight into good jobs and further study in the sector.

Charles Nelson, Assistant Principal, said: “We were honoured to be able to spend the morning with Mr Sharma, showing him around Southall Community College. Our students were grateful to meet him and hear his inspirational story, as well as taking the time to answer their questions. We are incredibly grateful for his ongoing support.”