Further Education
Colleges will today be given the opportunity to bid for a share of
£50 million for building projects.
Around 150 colleges who have yet to significantly benefit from
the capital programme will each receive approximately £225,000
under a £30 million Renewal Grant - bringing real benefits to the
learning and training of young people.
A further £20 million will be made available to colleges through
an Enhanced Renewal Grant. Colleges will have the opportunity to
add to their Renewal Grant, by bidding to build their total
allocation to £1 million. Colleges will be expected to attract
additional private finance, providing final projects of
significant value.
Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning Minister John
Hayes, said:
“We want to make sure as many colleges as possible can benefit
from this additional funding we are offering them. The £50 million
we are investing in colleges will make a real difference to
college campuses throughout England.
“Colleges are an invaluable resource for individuals and can
enrich lives and communities by providing courses and training
vital to employers, business and the economy.
“Many colleges up and down the country are still reeling from the
effects of problems seen last year in the capital investment
programme, which saw a Review by Sir Andrew Foster criticise
‘failures in the general management and financial management of
the Learning and Skills Council’.
“Learners will be the real beneficiaries of this extra funding
and we want to make the environment they work in productive and
inspiring and to ensure the college facilities meet learning and
business needs.”
Criteria have been set for colleges wishing to submit a bid for a
share of the funding. These include:
Condition of the college and its facilities;The benefits to
learners; andAdding to regeneration of local communities.
The college submitting the bid cannot have received more than £5
million of funding for building projects in the past from the
Skills Funding Agency (formerly the Learning and Skills Council).
The bid also needs to show that the building project can be
completed by September 2011.
The £50 million will be invested in projects in two ways. Under a
£30 million Renewal Grant, around 150 colleges will receive
approximately £225,000. These projects will be expected to raise
further private investment, significantly increasing their project size.
An additional £20m will be made available through an Enhanced
Renewal Grant, through which colleges will be able to bid on a
project basis for up to £1 million and will be expected to raise
significant further private investment.
The Skills Funding Agency will collate the bids and allocate
funding to successful projects.
Skills Funding Agency Chief Executive Geoff Russell said:
“During the current economic climate when efficiency savings are
having to be made across the public sector, we are pleased to be
able offer colleges the opportunity to take advantage of this
extra funding.
“This investment is an indication of the crucial role that
further education colleges have to play in not only educating our
young people and adults but in helping rebuild our communities and
contribute to economic growth.
“We now look forward to receiving the college bids. We will focus
on ensuring that the funding is allocated fairly across the sector
so that it has the greatest possible impact on learners, employers
and local communities.”
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills announced at
the end of May that £50 million of funding for the Train to Gain
programme was being recycled for Further Education capital projects.
Notes to Editors:
1. Uxbridge College is an example of a Further Education College
that was able to build new facilities on campus by self financing
the project instead of using Skills Funding Agency money.
Contacts:
BIS Press Office
NDS.BIS@coi.gsi.gov.uk
Alex. Hamilton
Phone: 020 7215 5976
Alex.Hamilton@bis.gsi.gov.uk