FE Capital Funding Update

Statement

Today my Right Honourable Friend, the Minister of State for Skills, Apprenticeships, and Higher Education (Robert Halfon), made the following statement.

Today I am announcing details of the government’s capital investment of up to £140 million to enable colleges, academies and schools to add additional capacity where there is a pressing need for places for 16–19-year-olds in their local area, given local demographic pressures.

Over forty projects across England have been offered funding. I will deposit a copy of the list of projects in the Libraries of both Houses. This investment will help learners gain the skills they need to progress and help the economy to grow. This investment should be seen in the context of the £1.5bn being invested through the FE Capital Transformation Fund in making FE colleges excellent places to learn; the £150 million for capital investment to all colleges (FE and Sixth Form) to support their transition to the public sector; the £500 million of capital funding to all schools and colleges in 2022-23 to improve energy efficiency; the £400m of T Level capital funding made available to post-16 providers to give them the facilities they need to deliver these new skills focused qualifications; and the wider programmes of revenue and capital funding which support post-16 education.

The government has an ambitious skills agenda, backed by £3.8 billion of investment over this Parliament. We are using this to build a skills system that is employer focused, high quality, and fit for the future – so skills training is aligned to the needs of employers to enable communities to thrive, underpinned by impartial, lifelong careers advice and guidance.

This investment should be seen in the wider context of our reforms to skills and further education. Through this funding, we will extend excellent education to young people where it is needed. This will provide them with the ladder of opportunity to fulfil their potential whether it’s through good jobs or additional education.