26 June 2009
England’s Northwest in line for £172 million towards Further
Education facilities
Four Colleges in England’s Northwest have today learned they
have been shortlisted by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to
proceed to the next stage of development in the latest round of the
FE Capital Building Programme.
13 projects from across England have been selected from more
than 180 projects submitted, working towards securing funding from
the programme’s £547 million.
Working closely with the Northwest Regional Development Agency
(NWDA) the four Northwest colleges selected are:
• Furness College - £44.2 million
• Manchester College (Wythenshawe) - £28 million
• St Helen’s College - £27 million
• West Cheshire College - £73 million
The LSC selected colleges that will have the greatest impact for
learners, employer’s and communities. This included looking at the
education and skills impact; contribution to local economic and
regeneration priorities; co-dependency (on the leverage of third
part funding or another important project dependent on the college
project) and the current condition of the estate.
Responding to the LSC announcement today, Steven Broomhead,
Chief Executive at the NWDA said:
“The NWDA has worked really hard to get the best return for FE
facilities in the Northwest. The FE Capital Programme has already
demonstrated its worth in many areas of the country. I am delighted
that four colleges in England’s Northwest have now been selected in
the latest funding round. Each college has worked closely with the
NWDA to prepare their plans and I would like to offer my
congratulations to them today.
“Understandably a number of colleges will be disappointed today,
not to be selected, however I would like to reiterate the LSC’s
message and ensure those colleges that we will be working closely
with them to identify actions that will enable projects to move
forward to the benefit of learners and communities throughout the
whole of the region.”
The most important aim of the LSC is to deliver best value for
money for the taxpayer and to fund the maximum possible number of
capital projects to benefit learners and economic recovery.
The LSC will also help colleges whose projects are not
proceeding in the short term to draw up a revised estates strategy
and to examine other possible sources of finance such as collective
approaches to private financing and borrowing.
The Budget 2009 announced an additional £300 million of capital
investment in further education as part of a fiscal stimulus
package, which has enabled a number of projects to be funded this
year. Since 2001, 700 projects at nearly 330 colleges across
England have been funded.
In April, Sir Andrew Foster published his independent report on
the FE Capital building programme and made recommendations which
have been accepted and followed.
Back in 1997 there was no capital budget for Further Education (FE)
Colleges. The National Audit Office (NAO) described FE college
buildings as “ageing and their quality and fitness for purpose was
often unsatisfactory, affecting the reputation of the sector. The
FE Capital Programme ensures learners are able to access safe,
clean and modern facilities in their local communities.
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Notes to Editors
For further information please contact Shelley Tattersall, Press
Officer on 01925 400256 or mobile 07500 128482 or shelley.tattersall@nwda.co.uk
For urgent out of hours press enquiries please call 01925
400259.
For further information and to view previous press releases
visit us at www.nwda.co.uk/press
The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) leads the
economic development and regeneration of England's Northwest and is
responsible for:
• Supporting business growth and encouraging
investment
• Matching skills provision to employer needs
• Creating the conditions for economic growth
• Connecting the region through effective transport and
communication infrastructure
• Promoting the region’s outstanding quality of life