Colleges to share £175m to expand technical training

Three West Midlands colleges will share part of a £175m government investment to provide manufacturing, digital and technologies training under the Technical Excellence Colleges programme, with 19 colleges selected across the UK.

Three colleges in the West Midlands have been chosen to share part of a £175m government fund to expand technical training. City of Wolverhampton College, Newcastle and Stafford College Group, and Birmingham Metropolitan College will act as hubs under the Technical Excellence Colleges (Tecs) programme. Courses in advanced manufacturing, digital and technologies are due to be available from April, and 19 colleges in total have been selected. The government says the programme aims to give young people clearer routes from education into skilled work. What is known: - City of Wolverhampton College (CWC), Newcastle and Stafford College Group (NSC), and Birmingham Metropolitan College (BMC) are named as West Midlands Tecs hubs. - The announcement is part of a wider selection of 19 colleges across the UK to offer Technical Excellence Colleges programmes. - CWC and NSC will provide training in advanced manufacturing, while BMC will offer digital and technologies courses from April. - The funding package totals £175m, with £97m from the Department for Education, £50m from the Ministry of Defence and £28m from the Department for Business and Trade. - Across the 19 colleges, training will also cover defence and clean energy and is reported to reach about 65,000 trainees. Summary: The funding is intended to create regional hubs for higher-level technical skills in areas such as manufacturing, digital and clean energy, and to strengthen routes from education into skilled jobs. Courses at the named West Midlands colleges are scheduled to start in April and the programme will be rolled out through the 19 selected colleges.