IT WAS back to where it all began for the minister of skills when she paid a visit to Worcester University.
Baroness Jacqui Smith visited the university where she once studied and met the healthcare, legal, and sports science workers of the future and took questions from an audience of trainee teachers.
She spoke to PGCE students about her experiences as a student teacher and her journey into teaching in schools in this region before becoming an MP.
After her career as a teacher, Baroness Smith went on to become the nation’s first ever female home secretary.
She said: “It has been really great to come back here, having had such happy memories of studying here. To see the medical school, and the opportunities there are here for medical students to learn alongside nurses and paramedics, it was great.”
During her visit, Baroness Smith also visited the university’s school of law, where she met staff, students and graduates.
She continued: “There’s obviously a very strong emphasis on students getting the opportunity to benefit from placements and links to employers here. That’s what makes the courses lead to really good employment prospects, which I know is a big strength of the university.
“It was great to talk to the students. Next year, they’ll be in our classrooms helping to change lives. They’re going into a fantastic career and having taught for 11 years I know how important that route into local schools is, and they’re clearly getting a very good grounding in what’s needed to be a great teacher here.”
