Five Staffordshire colleges are in for a share of £5.7 million of funding as part of a £302 million scheme to maintain and improve the nation’s college buildings.
The Further Education College Condition Allocation is being distributed across 179 college groups in England to be spent on capital projects and improving the condition of college estates.
Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group (NSCG) has been awarded the greatest sum out of the organisations in Staffordshire, receiving £2.6 million to support renovations at the Stafford College campus.
South Staffordshire College has been awarded £1.2 million, with £842,471 going to Burton and South Derbyshire College and Stoke-on-Trent College being allocated £990,329.
NSCG’s funding will be used to renovate the Grade II listed Tenterbanks building.
The three-storey building, built in 1937, is a key feature of the Stafford campus and the college has said the planned refurbishment will be completed sensitively to ensure original features are retained, whilst updating and modernising teaching spaces for learners and staff.
The work is expected to be phased over the next two years to minimise disruption to teaching and learning.
Craig Hodgson, Principal and Chief Executive of NSCG, said: “We are thrilled to have been awarded grant funding from the Department of Education to further enhance our college estate for the benefit of our learners. The funding will be used for improvements to our beautiful Grade II listed building, Tenterbanks, allowing us to enhance and modernise the building sympathetically, creating a dynamic learning environment that is fit for the future.”
Funding allocations were based on a range of criteria, including learning hours from the previous academic year, space requirements for each subject, residential space and local construction costs.
Skills Minister Jacqui Smith said: “FE colleges are vital to our mission to grow the economy under our Plan for Change. They are at the heart of training the next generation of skilled workers. But the FE college estate we inherited is in need of repairs to extend the life of college buildings.
“This funding addresses these issues, allowing colleges to focus on what they do best: breaking down barriers to opportunity by teaching the next generation in buildings fit for purpose.”
The other Staffordshire colleges have not yet commented on the funding they will receive.
