AoC welcomes DfE announcement on technical excellence colleges

Julian Gravatt, Deputy Chief Executive, Association of Colleges, said: “We welcome the opening of second round of technical excellence college applications, and the funding that was announced by the Department for Education today. There are some complicated eligibility rules, for example those around financial health ratings, which may exclude some otherwise strong bids. However, there is exceptional work happening in colleges across the country in the areas of defence, digital, clean energy and advanced manufacturing, and there will be strong applications for all.

“The Department for Education has also confirmed the involvement of mayoral strategic authorities in allocating new 16-18 capital funds. We have been clear for a while now that colleges are experiencing significant growth in 16 to 18-year-old student numbers, and that funding to be able to improve or expand college facilities is desperately needed. As more detail is released, we will be in contact with the DfE to ensure the process is fast, fair and effective."