The government has confirmed more than £283 million of investment aimed at expanding access to skills training, with a significant amount targeted at easing pressure on construction courses and helping meet growing demand for homegrown workers across the built environment sector.
Around £100 million of the funding will be directed to mayors and local leaders to increase capacity on construction courses, the Department for Education has said, in response to rising college waiting lists nationwide. The move supports the government’s stated ambition to train an additional 60,000 construction workers to help deliver 1.5 million new homes by the end of the current Parliament.
Metro mayors and local leaders will be able to decide how the remaining funding is allocated to expand college capacity more broadly, ahead of an anticipated 67,000 extra 16 and 17-year-olds entering post-16 education by 2028. The approach is intended to allow local areas to tailor training provision to their own needs, helping to rejuvenate local economies.
This announcement coincides with applications opening for colleges seeking to become a Technical Excellence College (TEC) in one of the government’s priority Industrial Strategy sectors, which include advanced manufacturing, clean energy, defence, digital and technologies. A total of 19 TECs were outlined in the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, adding to the 10 already established for construction, which are expected to train 40,000 learners by 2029.
Skills Minister Jacqui Smith said: “Learning a trade opens doors to a brilliant career and a secure future, and trade workers are crucial to our mission to turbocharge economic growth. We’re making sure every young person who wants to become a builder, engineer or technician can get that opportunity.”
Further support is also being directed at T-Level providers, with £8.8 million in capital funding allocated for specialist, industry-standard equipment in priority areas, giving students access to the same technology used in the workplace.
The funding comes against a backdrop of capacity challenges. A recent survey by the Association of Colleges found that almost one in three colleges had been forced to limit or close construction apprenticeships due to shortages of staff or space, a higher proportion than in any other subject area.
The measures build on a previously announced £1.5 billion investment to support almost one million young people into learning or employment and to create 50,000 additional apprenticeships over the next three years.
More broadly, the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper also sets out plans to raise standards across further education, including structured professional development for teachers, minimum face-to-face English and maths teaching requirements, and the introduction of V levels as a new vocational pathway alongside A levels and T Levels.