A BLACKBURN College apprentice has represented the institution at a parliamentary committee giving evidence of the effect that the coronavirus situation has had on further education.

Business administration apprentice Annalise Bartley joined a committee of MPs and three other apprentices from around the country to explain how the pandemic has affected her learning experience and how her college has supported her.

The meeting came as part of the House of Commons Education Committee’s inquiry into the impact of COVID-19 on Education and Children’s Services, with 19-year-old Miss Bartley’s contribution specifically focusing on further education and apprenticeships.

She said: “During the COVID-19 period, Blackburn College have supported me with regular one-to-ones over video calls to make sure I am on track with my apprenticeship.

“This was a whole new experience for me as I had never used Zoom before! But the calls were helpful, and they definitely kept me motivated.

She added: “Obviously, the video call practice was handy for when I took part on Parliament Live TV. It was great to be put forward by the College and to be part of the discussion.”

Miss Bartley has now completed level two of her apprenticeship and is currently employed by Darwen’s Rinus Roofing Supplies where she has now progressed to level three.

This puts her in pole position to provide evidence to the committee, which is investigating the impact of the disease across the entirety of the UK’s education sector.

Meetings have taken place virtually in order to prevent the spread of infections.

The committee also discussed what current apprentices feel they can do to support the sector's future.

Speaking to the committee, Miss Bartley said: “I would probably suggest that, we used to have assemblies and things so I think it would be more useful to get people like myself to go to schools and talk about it.

“Also if employees had more incentives to take on apprentices and maybe employees going to also, that might help.”

The committee is still accepting evidence on how education and children’s services have been impacted.

To submit, visit: https://committees.parliament.uk/submission/#/evidence/97/.