Skills Minister, Baroness Smith of Malvern, has announced today £10 million of funding earmarked to support post-16 provision in Further Education Colleges across Greater Manchester’s ten boroughs.
The announcement follows a visit the GMColleges’ principals had with the Skills Minister in Westminster, in which they discussed a range of topics impacting education, skills and students in the region.
GMColleges Policy Manager, Richard Caulfield explained, “GMColleges welcome this positive step from the Department for Education, which will go some way to addressing the 16-18 capacity challenge which colleges across Greater Manchester face. After our recent visit it was heartening to hear first-hand about the government’s understanding of and commitment to the important role colleges play in driving economic growth and supporting our communities.
“We await full details of how this funding will be allocated and how we can use it to meet the growing demand across our colleges for the next academic year. There is more work to be done to ensure that all young people in Greater Manchester who want to progress their careers by studying in a college in the years to come are able to do so, and we look forward to working closely with the DfE, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, our Local Authorities and other stakeholders to address the ongoing projected shortfall in places across the city region.”
