- £307 million to repair and maintain colleges in all regions
of England
- Annual fund for all colleges in England will fix leaking
roofs, broken windows and worn-out facilities, delivering
national renewal
- Part of £1.7 billion investment to modernise college
buildings by 2030
Young people across England will see major upgrades to their
colleges, as the government invests £307 million to turn the page
on years of neglect.
From repairing leaky roofs and fixing broken windows to updating
worn-out heating systems, all 175 colleges will benefit. Each one
will receive individual allocations in the summer, ranging from
£6,000 for smaller institutions to £7 million for large college
groups for the next academic year. Colleges will be given the
flexibility to decide how the funding is spent, so it can be
directed where it is needed most.
These upgrades will restore pride in England's colleges and break
down barriers to opportunity for students, with fewer disruptions
to lessons, more comfortable learning environments, and better
spaces for students to focus and succeed. Modernised colleges
will be key to delivering on the Prime Minister's target for
two-thirds of young people to be taking a gold standard
apprenticeship, higher training or heading to university by the
age of 25.
The fund has been boosted by £5 million since last year, when it
was introduced in response to colleges calling for a reliable
annual allocation to plan and maintain their estates. It is part
of a £1.7 billion investment from the government's Industrial
Strategy for colleges to modernise buildings by 2030.
Skills Minister said:
"The young people in these colleges are the engineers,
bricklayers and designers of the future, and they and the
dedicated staff teaching them deserve the best possible
environment to learn and succeed.
"This £307 million investment will repair and modernise
facilities across all 175 colleges in England, giving young
people the spaces they need to build the skills they need for
good careers, helping to drive economic growth."
Cheshire College South & West used its allocation last year
to move towards decarbonising all of their campuses, as well as
making improvements to ventilation systems and the Crewe campus
reception.
Helen Nellist, Deputy Principal of Cheshire College South
& West, said:
“We're very grateful for this funding, which has allowed us to
make significant improvements across the College.
“The redesign of our reception area has strengthened the
safeguarding of learners by improving visibility and access
control, and we've also been able to refurbish key facilities
such as toilets and changing rooms. Additional upgrades to
lighting, energy efficiency and ventilation have improved safety,
comfort and sustainability.
“This investment is making a real difference for our learners,
staff and visitors.”
It follows the announcement of £570 million to increase
capacity in colleges to train the next generation of
skilled workers.
More widely, the government's ambitious Post-16 Education and
Skills White Paper set out plans to unlock
opportunity for young people and drive growth for the country by
improving the quality of further education. This includes the
introduction of 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 provide
clearer, stronger options for young people, allowing them
to mix and match academic and vocational subjects and
setting them up for the jobs of tomorrow.
Funding will be distributed to colleges in due course.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
