Secretary of State for Education Gavin Williamson to address AoC Annual Conference

Today, the Education Secretary Rt Hon Gavin Williamson has been added to the line-up for the Association of Colleges’ conference taking place in Birmingham between 19 – 20 November. The newly appointed Secretary of State will join Paul Johnson, Director at the Institute of Fiscal Studies and broadcaster Anita Anand talking to delegates from across the country about the important issues facing further education and colleges within unprecedented political times. The biggest event in the further education sector, will see speakers and delegates focus on the key role that colleges play in driving transformation and change for their students and local communities. This year’s conference will focus on whole college health – from working culture to finances, curriculum to student and staff well-being. Rt Hon Gavin Williamson has been a Conservative member of Parliament for South Staffordshire since 2010. He has been Chief Whip and Secretary of State for Defence before taking up his role as Education Secretary in July 2019. David Hughes, Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges said, "This year’s conference is set to be a fantastic two days. Given our successful #LoveOurColleges campaign and a renewed focus on colleges, we have a lot to discuss. The Secretary of State has shown that he wants to focus his attentions on colleges and FE, so it will be great to hear how he views the future for colleges. Following a strong commitment to the sector in the spending round, we look forward to working with the Secretary of State as he takes charge of the further education and skills brief in the run up to the three-year spending review next year. " This year, more than 1,200 delegates are expected to attend the two-day conference at the ICC, Birmingham. They will have a choice of over 60 speakers, through practical breakout sessions and inspiring keynotes and have the chance to engage with over 75 exhibitors making AoC Annual Conference a key date in the FE calendar. You can find out more about AoC’s Annual Conference, access the full programme and register for a place here.