Major upgrades to restore pride in England’s run-down colleges
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 Jacqui Smith 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.”
Julian Gravatt, Deputy Chief Executive, Association of Colleges, said:
“This funding for college estates is sorely needed, and we are pleased to see that every single FE college will benefit, and crucially, that individual colleges will be able to decide how the money is spent.”
It follows the announcement of £570 million to increase capacity in colleges to train the next generation of skilled workers.
