College buildings set for upgrade thanks to £200m government funding boost

Article summary

The Department for Education (DfE) has announced that more than 180 further education colleges will receive a share of £200m to kick-start work to upgrade their buildings and estates from September 2020. The funding boost is part of a ‘major £1.5bn investment that will transform colleges over the next 5 years’. The DfE explained that this initial investment is being fast-tracked so colleges can begin work in 2020 and so students and staff will benefit at least a year earlier than originally planned. The funding comes ahead of the publication of a White Paper in autumn 2020 setting out plans to build a high-quality further education system that will provide the skills that individuals, employers and the economy need to grow and thrive.