AoC welcomes government announcement on Defence Technical Excellence Colleges

David Hughes, Chief Executive, Association of Colleges said:

This announcement is very welcome news, showing once again that colleges are trusted to equip learners of all ages with the skills needed by growth industries.

Colleges across the country are already delivering key skills to support the defence sector, and with this investment they will be able to ensure that more people can benefit as new jobs are created in defence.

It is significant that this funding is coming from the defence budget, showing a broader understanding of how vital skills and colleges are to the success of many other government strategies and ambitions.

We look forward to supporting the Ministry of Defence in the application process to find the first five defence Technical Excellence Colleges later this year and to how those TECs will work with other colleges to ensure that learners can access defence jobs more widely.