‘It’s a bit of a no-brainer to visit these young people as they are the future of the country’

A Local MP has visited EKC Sheppey College’s Uniformed Public Services students to speak to them about the impact they have as public servants.

Uniformed Public Services students at EKC Sheppey College were recently treated to a visit from their local MP to discuss the importance of public service.

Kevin McKenna, MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, was invited to speak to a group of learners about their plans for the future, the way the world is changing, and his experiences as a nurse, and as a Member of Parliament.

With these learners being the next generation of public servants, Kevin said he got a lot back from speaking to the students.

“It was really good to share my experience of being a nurse in the public sector, and what it’s like putting on a uniform, and what that meant to me,” he said.

“I’m also a public servant as an MP, and you have to represent the country in all of those positions and keep the people safe in all of those positions that these learners are looking to do.”

Constance Sweeney-Hill, who studies Level 2 Public Services, said that she wasn’t sure what to expect, but found the talk interesting, saying: “I didn’t really know what an MP was before this talk, but it was interesting to listen to.

“I’m not really into politics much, so this was really kind of an eye opener to be honest.”

‘It’s a bit of a no brainer to visit these young people as they are the future of the country’

The MP’s visit gave the students a useful insight into the values and culture of the roles that they are aspiring towards.

He added that for him, it’s important to speak to his younger constituents.

He said: “It’s a bit of a no-brainer to visit these young people as they are the future of the country, they are so important at every level.

“You’ve really got to hear from them as well. For me, it really matters to hear what the experiences of people growing up now are in the education system, that are about to go into work or employment.

“We did get to have quite an in-depth conversation, and it was really good to have that chat with young people about the world that they’re facing”.