New Investments in Further Education

Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced there will be investments in the 16–19 years Further Education (FE) Sector in his March 2020 Budget.

The chancellor announced a £1.5 billion investment of new capital over five years to dramatically improve the condition of the country’s FE college estate. In his budget document it states that the capital investment “will ensure that colleges have cutting-edge facilities to train people for jobs in the industries of the future, and is part of the government’s plan to upgrade the nation’s infrastructure.”

Additionally, according to the budget documents, the government will provide “an additional £7 million to support a total of 11 maths schools in England, covering every region.” This is on top of the £18 million funding for maths schools announced in 2017.

The following will be invested in Education and Skills

• Further Education capital funding: The government will provide £1.5 billion over five years supported by funding from further education colleges themselves, to bring the facilities of colleges everywhere in England up to a good level and to support improvements to colleges, raising the quality and efficiency of vocational education provision.
• Institutes of Technology: The government will provide £120 million to bring Further Education and Higher Education providers in England together with employers to open up to eight new Institutes of Technology. These institutions will be used to deliver high-quality higher level technical education and to help close skills gaps in their local areas.
• Facilities and equipment to support T levels: The government will provide £95 million for providers in England to invest in high quality facilities and industry-standard equipment to support the rollout of T levels. Funding will support T level routes from autumn 2021, including construction, digital, and health and science.
• Maths schools: The government will provide an additional £7 million to support a total of 11 maths schools in England, covering every region.
• PE and sports: By 2023-24 the Budget will provide £29 million a year to support primary school PE teaching and help schools in England make the best use of their sports facilities.
• Arts Premium: The Budget provides £90 million a year to introduce an Arts Premium from September 2021, to help schools in England provide high-quality arts programmes and extracurricular activities for pupils.

In addition, the following will be reviewed:

• National Skills Fund: The government will consult widely in the spring on how to use the new National Skills Fund.
• Apprenticeship Levy: The government will look at how to improve the working of the Apprenticeship Levy, to support large and small employers in meeting the long-term skills needs of the economy.
• Apprenticeships: The government will ensure that sufficient funding is made available in 2020-21 to support an increase in the number of new high-quality apprenticeships in small- and medium-sized businesses.