Skills Share – engaging with your local politicians during Colleges Week

Colleges Week is a fantastic opportunity for colleges to build and strengthen relationships with local politicians. We know many colleges will welcome MPs, Mayors, and other prominent figures during the week for visits and events you’ve organised. Another creative way to involve them is by hosting a ‘skills share’ session, where they share practical skills with students based on their previous careers before entering politics. For example, a former doctor could lead a session with health and social care students on patient communication or first aid techniques. A former journalist might run a workshop for media or journalism students on interviewing skills or writing compelling headlines. These sessions give students real-world insights and can help make the politician’s visit more interactive and memorable.

In recent years, we’ve seen some brilliant examples of this in action. Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram delivered a bricklaying workshop for construction students at the City of Liverpool College, and Tracy Brabin hosted an acting masterclass at Leeds City College. Both sessions were hugely positive for students and generated great media coverage.

If you’d like to organise a ‘skills share’ session and would like some support, please contact your local Area Director or the AoC Public Affairs team at public_affairs@aoc.co.uk. We’d be delighted to help make it happen.