What could be more important for the future of young people here than to equip them with the skills they need to get on in life?

For me, it’s about extending opportunity to everyone, so an early priority has been to invest in improving the facilities of Wiltshire College and ensure the learning opportunities we offer alongside workplace apprenticeships are of a high quality.

Last week, we celebrated the ‘topping out’ ceremony on the roof of the college’s new building in Chippenham.

Topping out is an ancient tradition, performed when construction reaches its highest point. I poured oil into the final piece of concrete, representing liberty and prosperity. In this case, our hopes are focused on the local young people who will undertake vocational training and apprenticeships at the new facility.

I was particularly delighted to see this progress after the disappointment we experienced in 2008, when plans fell through after the previous government overspent on its national college building programme. I supported the plans back then and have championed Wiltshire College’s renewed bid to ministers – even going to the very top and pressing David Cameron to release the funds at Prime Minister’s Questions last year.

On the same day as our ceremony, Liberal Democrat Business Secretary Vince Cable was meeting the two-millionth person to start an apprenticeship since 2010.

I encourage local employers I meet to take on as many apprentices as possible, so I’m pleased that 20,000 of those two million new apprenticeships have been started in Wiltshire.

The success of these new apprenticeships has brought fresh recognition of the valuable workplace skills they teach. Wiltshire College’s new building will allow even more young people to learn at college as part of their apprenticeship.

On Sunday, I celebrated the first anniversary of the new TransWilts rail service with local campaigners. The trains have proved very popular in their first year.

That evening I joined the Melksham churches for their living nativity, an imaginative and striking way of sharing the story of the first Christmas. In costume, I was fortunate to ride a camel through the town as I attempted the role of a wise man!

My next constituency surgeries will be at The Pound Arts Centre in Corsham tomorrow, 10am-11.30am.