On 16 January, the second annual Leading Learners event took place in London. It promised to be a great day, and it certainly delivered.

It was genuinely inspiring to see more than 230 further education (FE) student representatives and officers in a room together, swapping best practice, creatively engaging on the national picture and challenging the decision-makers on policy which effects us all. I challenge any sceptic in college management to accuse the FE membership of being apathetic and disinterested in the learner voice after the passion and commitment of everyone at this event and more generally in their own union work.

Keynote speakers included Bill Rammell (Minister for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education) and Sir Andrew Foster (who wrote “The Foster Review" which reviewed the future of FE Colleges).

The day included workshops delivered by experts in the sector, covering a range of issues from “Communicating through blogs and wikis” to “Understanding the sector,” and group discussions and debate on topics such as self-regulation and tackling the reputation of FE.

I have attached my key-note speech.

Download Beth's keynote speech (pdf format)

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