Young people in Warrington will see major upgrades to Warrington and Vale Royal College, as the Government provides £1.2 million to the college as part of its £307 million investment.
Warrington and Vale Royal College is one of 175 colleges that will benefit, with the college being given the flexibility to decide how the funding is spent so it can be directed where it is needed most.
These investments will ensure the high-quality learning environment at the college is maintained and improved such that students are supported to succeed. Modernised colleges will be key to delivering on the Government’s target for two-thirds of young people to be taking a gold standard apprenticeship or heading to university by the age of 25.
The fund has been boosted by £5 million since last year, when Labour introduced it in response to colleges calling for a reliable annual allocation to plan and maintain their estates. It is part of a £1.7 billion investment from Labour’s Industrial Strategy for colleges to modernise buildings by 2030.
MP for Warrington North, Charlotte Nichols said: “I’m delighted to have worked with the Labour government to secure vital investment for Warrington and Vale Royal College which is at the heart of further education in Warrington.
“I back the government’s ambitious target to get two-thirds of young people to be taking a gold standard apprenticeship or heading to university by the age of 25. This funding will help young people match their ambition and unlock their talent by expanding the number of apprenticeships.
“I’ll be working with constituents and speaking with staff and students at the College about where this money will be best spent, so we can unlock opportunity for young people in Warrington. I look forward to visiting the college soon.”
Nichola Newton, Principal and CEO of Warrington and Vale Royal College, said: “We are delighted to receive these monies and we will invest them wisely to improve the college’s estate, building on £13m capital secured over the past few years to improve the college’s facilities and resources for the benefit of our students.”
Skills Minister Jacqui Smith said: “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.
“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.”
It follows the Government’s announcement of £570 million to increase capacity in colleges to train the next generation of skilled workers.
More widely, Labour’s ambitious Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper set out plans to unlock opportunity for young people and drive growth for the country by improving the quality of further education. This includes the introduction of structured professional development for further education teachers and an expectation that colleges deliver at least 100 hours of face-to-face English and maths teaching for those who haven’t passed those GCSEs.
Labour also announced the creation of V levels as a brand new vocational pathway to provide clearer, stronger options for young people, allowing them to mix and match academic and vocational subjects and setting them up for the jobs of tomorrow.
Funding will be distributed to Warrington and Vale Royal College in due course.
