North West colleges secure £56m building boost
More than 30 sixth-forms across the North West are set to benefit from more than £300m of government funding aimed at restoring run-down further education facilities.
In an announcement today, the government said £56m has been allocated to sixth-form centres and colleges in the region, part of a £1.7bn investment earmarked in the government’s industrial strategy, aimed at modernising college buildings by 2030.
The Department for Education said each college would receive individual allocations in the summer, ranging from £6,000 for smaller institutions to £7m for large college groups for the next academic year.
NCG, which operates Carlisle College and West Lancashire College, has secured the most funding in the region – netting £7m. Manchester’s LTE Group came a distant second with £3.4m heading its way to repair and modernise its facilities.
The full allocations for colleges in the region are:
- Blackburn College – £1.5m
- Blackpool and Fylde College – £2.6m
- Bolton College – £1.8m
- Burnley College – £2m
- Bury College – £1.6m
- Cheshire College – South and West – £2.1m
- East Lancashire Learning Group – £1.6m
- Furness College – £400,000
- Hopwood Hall College – £1.6m
- Hugh Baird College – £1.1m
- Kendal College – £800,000
- LTE Group – £3.4m
- Lakes College – West Cumbria – £700,000
- Lancaster and Morecambe College – £600,000
- Macclesfield College – £600,000
- Myerscough College – £1.6m
- NCG – £7.3m
- Preston College – £1.6m
- Reaseheath College – £1.4m
- Riverside College Halton – £1.5m
- Runshaw College – £1.8m
- Salford City College – £2.6m
- Southport Education Group – £900,000
- St Helens College – £1.3m
- Tameside College – £1.6m
- The City of Liverpool College – £2.8m
- The Oldham College – £1.4m
- The Trafford and Stockport College Group – £2.5m
- Warrington and Vale Royal College – £1.2m
- Wigan and Leigh College – £2.2m
- Wirral Metropolitan College – £1.2m
- Workers’ Educational Association – £600,000
The government says 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 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,” said Skills Minister Jacqui Smith.
“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.”
