Bury College staff and students were delighted to welcome Councillor Tamoor Tariq on his recent visit to the college. Councillor Tariq joined us on campus as part of Colleges Week celebrations, taking the opportunity to show his support for Bury College and his appreciation for the college’s role in the community.

Colleges Week is hosted annually by the Association of Colleges, and this year’s theme was ‘get in, go further’. Every year, Colleges Week is a chance for Bury College to celebrate the ways that the college supports local businesses, equips young people and adults with career-enhancing skills, and contributes to the local community.

To mark Colleges Week, Bury College have been encouraging students to make videos sharing what they love about studying at Bury College. The college has also been celebrating successful alumni, and sharing taster videos of the exciting courses on offer. Local MPs, Councillors, and Government Ministers have taken the opportunity to show their support.

Councillor Tariq visited to join in on the celebrations, and to find out more about how the college supports the local economy and the Bury community. Councillor Tariq, as the Cabinet member for Children, Young People and Skills, was also especially keen to talk about Adult Skills alongside the college’s Further Education provision.

College staff also updated the Councillor on the new Health, Innovation and Digital Technologies centre, due to open in Autumn 2022, and how it will contribute to closing the skills gap in Greater Manchester. The Councillor was also given a more general overview of recent updates to the college, and of projected plans for the future.

Councillor Tariq said, “I am always delighted to find out more about the plans, technologies and support our local colleges have in place for current and future students. It was great to see Bury College taking every step to ensure that students get the most out of their education, with great teaching staff and facilities and more to come. I am excited to see how Bury College will continue to thrive, provide excellent education, and give the young people of Bury the skills and qualifications they need to enter the work force and higher education.”

Becky Tootell, Deputy Principal for Curriculum and Quality, said, “We were delighted to welcome Councillor Tariq onto the campus, and celebrate Colleges Week with him. Colleges Week is a great way to showcase the amazing work colleges are doing across the country, in their communities and beyond.”