The Plan for Change is seeing an extra boost in funding for the repair of dilapidated education buildings across the country
Further education building repairs are growing as many colleges are falling into disrepair.
The funding was originally announced in the October budget as the first condition allocation for FE colleges in two years.
Further education building repairs will be decided by the colleges
Allocated funds will be under the full control of the building owners, as feedback has determined they are best placed to prioritise the required repair works, whether they be leaky roofs or drafty windows.
Further funding is to be given to colleges in Greater Manchester and Leeds, with £20m being given to allow a greater capacity of 16-19 year olds in education.
Specifics have been given for Calderdale College, West Yorkshire, which will use its share of funds to expand their construction and professional trades workshops, as well as build an additional classroom in their digital and creative centre, Mill Studios.
The announcement of extra funds follows an announcement in March of £100m towards constructing new Technical Excellence Colleges and improving existing construction courses, and is in turn a part of a £625m investment in training 60,000 new engineers, electricians, and builders by 2029.
New Construction Skills Hubs were also announced last year in an effort to tackle the construction skills shortage, and changes were recently introduced to Maths and English requirements, and apprenticeships were shortened, to allow up to 10,000 more apprentices to qualify per year in key sectors.
“Inspiring the workforce of the future”
Andrew Harrison, vice principal for corporate services at Calderdale College, said: “We welcome this investment from the Government’s Autumn budget, which will enable us to further enhance the experience for our students. This follows the success of our recent £7.5m transformation project, completed in August 2024, which focused on refurbishing our ageing estate.
“As well as modernising our facilities, the project significantly improved our energy efficiency, cutting costs by 40% and making a major step forward in our carbon reduction edits.”
Skills minister, Jacqui Smith, said: “Further education colleges are at the heart of our mission to grow the economy and train the next generation of skilled workers under our Plan for Change.
“But the college estate we inherited is simply not fit for purpose. Today’s funding addresses these issues, allowing colleges to focus on what they do best: breaking down barriers to opportunity and inspiring the workforce of the future.”
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