Leaky roofs, broken windows and dilapidated buildings at further education colleges across England will be repaired thanks to a £302m government cash injection announced today (1 April), ensuring they can continue to break down barriers to opportunity as part of the government’s Plan for Change.
The funding, which was announced by the Chancellor in the Budget in October, is the first condition allocation for FE colleges in two years, demonstrating the government’s commitment to investing in the next generation by fixing, maintaining and improving college buildings.
This will also ensure FE Colleges are able to attract and retain learners, helping to boost the economy.
The government has listened to feedback from the sector, and for the first time is giving FE colleges the discretion and flexibility to decide how the funding should be spent – recognising providers are best placed to determine their own priorities to improve the condition and prevent the deterioration of their estate.
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.
Colleges in Greater Manchester and Leeds will also benefit from a £20m boost to capacity funding for 16-19 year olds to address a shortage of places.
The funding will create much needed places across the two areas, ensuring more learners will be able to access crucial skills training
Among those to benefit will be Calderdale College in West Yorkshire, which will use the capital funding to expand its much-needed capacity in construction and professional trades workshops. The funding will also support the creation of an additional classroom within Mill Studios, the College’s state-of-the-art digital and creative centre.
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 £7.5 million 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.
This follows the Chancellor’s announcement of £100 million of new investment to further build capacity in the construction sector, establishing ten new Technical Excellence Colleges. This is part of a £625m investment that will help to train up to 60,000 more engineers, electricians and builders by 2029.
The government continues to improve post-16 education, with changes to English and maths requirements that will see up to 10,000 more apprentices qualify each year in key sectors, and new shorter apprenticeships announced during National Apprenticeship Week. Changes to end point assessments will also mean it is even easier for businesses and providers to support getting people into the workforce.
Last year the Education Secretary announced new Construction Skills Hubs, funded by industry, which will also speed up the training of construction workers crucial to supporting the government’s homebuilding drive.
