More builders, coders and engineers of the future will be able to
access the life-changing opportunity to gain the skills they will
need for their careers, as the government delivers on its
investment of more than £283 million to help them meet surging
demand for homegrown skilled workers.
Around £100 million of this funding will go to mayors and local
leaders to boost capacity specifically in construction courses to
address growing college waiting lists across the country and help
achieve the government's goal to train 60,000 additional
construction workers to build 1.5 million homes by the end of the
Parliament.
Metro mayors and local leaders will be given the power to decide
how they use the rest of the funding to boost capacity in
colleges ahead of an expected 67,000 extra 16- and 17-year-olds
entering post-16 education by 2028. This means communities can
create training opportunities to rejuvenate local economies and
provide British people with pathways to good jobs, driving
national renewal and ensuring every young person, no matter
their background, is given the chance to succeed.
It comes as applications open for colleges to bid to become
a Technical Excellence College (TEC) in one of the
government's priority Industrial Strategy sectors: advanced manufacturing,
clean energy, defence and digital and technologies.
The 19 TECs,
announced in the government's Post 16 Education and Skills White
Paper, add to the 10 already launched for the construction
sector, which will train 40,000 construction learners by 2029.
The TECs will
break down barriers to opportunity and deliver the gold standard
pathways young people deserve, helping the government to reach
the Prime Minister's target for two thirds of young people to be
in higher level learning by age 25.
Skills Minister said:
Learning a trade opens doors to a brilliant career and a secure
future, and trade workers are crucial to our mission to
turbocharge economic growth.
We're making sure every young person who wants to become a
builder, engineer or technician can get that opportunity.
Our plan for national renewal gives young people the skills they
need to get on in life while delivering the homes and
infrastructure our country desperately needs.
T Level providers are also set to benefit from an £8.8 million
capital funding boost for specialist industry-standard equipment
for high priority areas, giving students access to the same
technology used in industry.
A survey conducted by the Association of Colleges recently found
that nearly one in three colleges reported they had had to limit
or close apprenticeship courses in construction due to staffing
or space challenges, more than any other subject.
It follows the announcement of a major £1.5 billion cash
injection to provide learning or employment opportunities for
almost one million young people and create 50,000 more
apprenticeships for young people over the next three years,
ensuring more young people are given the chance to build their
skills and get that crucial first step on the career ladder.
More widely, the government's ambitious Post-16 Education and
Skills White Paper set out plans to improve quality of
further education, introducing structured professional
development for further education teachers and an expectation
that colleges deliver at least 100 hours of face-to-face English
and maths teaching for those who haven't passed those GCSEs.
It also announced the creation of V levels as a brand new
vocational pathway to sit alongside A levels and T Levels,
allowing students to explore different sectors like Engineering
or Digital while keeping their options open.
