Sixty-two further education colleges are to benefit from a share of more
than £400 million to upgrade buildings and transform campuses.
The cash boost will make sure even more people are supported to get the
skills they need to get a good job, levelling up opportunity across the
country.
The colleges announced today will be the latest to benefit from the
government’s £1.5 billion Further Education Capital Transformation Fund. This
significant investment is supporting the transformation of post-16 education
and training by ensuring colleges are great places to learn and students have
access to modern, fit-for-purpose facilities.
The funding will support colleges to undertake building or refurbishment
projects that will dramatically improve learning environments, including the
creation of dedicated teaching facilities for subjects, such as automotive,
ICT, science and engineering. This will support more people to get the training
they need to progress into rewarding jobs and plug skills gaps in local
communities. Some colleges will also construct new teaching spaces to replace
buildings in poor condition elsewhere in town centres or on campuses.
Minister for Skills Alex Burghart said: “Our priority is making sure that
every student receives the high-quality training needed to secure a well-paid
job, so that businesses in growth sectors such as construction, engineering and
digital have a strong talent pipeline as we continue to level up opportunities
across the country.
“That is why we are investing to ensure colleges can create
modern, fit-for-purpose spaces that meet the needs of students and the
communities they serve – and most importantly continue to be fantastic places
to learn.”
The Further Education Capital Transformation fund was first launched in
September 2020 by the Prime Minister.
The first phase of the fund saw an initial £200 million allocated to all
colleges so they could carry out urgent remedial work to refurbish their
buildings.
Following this, in April 2021, the government announced plans to work in
partnership with sixteen colleges with some of the poorest condition sites in
the country to upgrade their sites and ensure they are excellent places to
learn. Construction is under way at one of these projects – Stafford College –
and others will soon be ready to begin works.
Today’s announcement is the outcome of a bidding round that was open to all
colleges – for additional funding to help upgrade their campuses.
This significant investment forms part of the government’s landmark reforms
to further and technical education – as set out in the Skills for Jobs White
Paper.
The fund builds on the action already under way to transform post-16
education and training. This includes rolling out new high quality T Level
qualifications, establishing a network of Institutes of Technology, and making
sure everyone, no matter where they live or their background, can gain the
skills they need to progress in work at any stage of their lives.
