£400m investment to upgrade college campuses

The government has announced that 62 further education colleges are to benefit from a share of more than £400 million to upgrade buildings and transform campuses.

Benefiting from the government’s £1.5 billion Further Education Capital Transformation Fund, the 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. This, in turn, feeds into the government’s overarching ambition to level up opportunity across the country.

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. 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.”