LAST Friday I had the privilege of cutting the ribbon to formally open the new Construction Education Academy at Carlisle College.

It was great to have a look at what the College will be offering in the future, but it was also a rather timely event as this year the college is celebrating its 70th anniversary.

The day made for an interesting opportunity to reflect on why the college was set up in the first place, and its enduring relevance to our city.

In the 1950s, the country was of course still recovering from the aftermath of the war, and places such as Carlisle needed to have a trained and skilled workforce.

Over the years, this is precisely what the College has provided. And as the economy and business requirements changed over the decades, so have the skills and training that the college has offered.

Today, there is a clear need for skilled construction workers – and so the college has realised this, reacted to this, and embraced the opportunity to create an academy dedicated to the industry.

The £1.5million academy will teach bricklaying, plastering, and other construction skills to around 80 students (with the possibility of expansion) – and is being well supported by local businesses.

Indeed, it received a donation of 12,000 bricks from Persimmon Homes (enough, I understand, to build a house) and it is great to see locally based businesses and the college working together to identify skills gaps and educate our youngsters – who will no doubt go on to fulfilling and successful careers.

At the start of the 21st century, I think that we as a country became quite fixated on universities and university qualifications. Of course, there is a place for our great universities in this country – but I do think we lost sight of a bit of the importance of vocational and technical qualifications.

In recent times this has been corrected to some degree, and it is places like Carlisle College that have been at the forefront of this.

From a personal perspective, it has been my pleasure to have had great involvement with the college as an MP. The college hosted my manufacturing exhibition, has hosted me for graduations and roundtables – and in more recent years, the college itself has been the location for my annual Carlisle Skills Fair.

So many people in Carlisle will have either been taught in the college or will have family members who have learned vital and valuable skills from the college.

It has been a hugely important institution for our city over the last 70 years, and I am sure it will continue to be for the next 70 years (and more!) to come.