£2.1 million upgrade secured for Cheshire College – South & West

Cheshire College South & West is to receive part of £307 million set aside to repair and maintain colleges in England.

Young people in Crewe & Nantwich will benefit from a £2.1 million upgrade to their local college which will go towards repairs to leaky roofs, fixing broken windows and updating heating systems.

Cheshire College South & West is one of 175 colleges across the UK that will benefit.

The college will decide how the funding is spent, so it can be directed where it is needed most.

Modernised colleges will be key to delivering Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s target for two-thirds of young people to be taking a gold standard apprenticeship or heading to university by the age of 25.

It is part of a £1.7 billion investment from the Government’s “Industrial Strategy” for colleges to modernise buildings by 2030.

Labour’s Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper sets out plans to unlock opportunities for young people and drive growth for the country by improving the quality of further education.

This includes the introduction of structured professional development for further education teachers and an expectation that colleges deliver at least 100 hours of face-to-face English and maths teaching for those who have not passed those GCSEs.

MP Connor Naismith at Cheshire College South & West

MP for Crewe & Nantwich Connor Naismith said: “I’m delighted to have worked with the Labour government to secure vital investment for Cheshire College South – a hub for further education in Crewe & Nantwich.

“I am fully supportive of the Prime Minister’s bold target to get two-thirds of young people to be taking a gold standard apprenticeship or heading to university by the age of 25. His ambition is matched in this funding.

“I’ll be speaking with the college about where this money will be best spent, so we can continue to support young people in Crewe & Nantwich and build on the College’s status as the number 1 further education provider for apprenticeships in Cheshire.”

Skills Minister Jacqui Smith said: “The young people in these colleges are the engineers, bricklayers and designers of the future, and they and the dedicated staff teaching them deserve the best possible environment to learn and succeed.

“This £307 million investment will repair and modernise facilities across all 175 colleges in England, giving young people the spaces they need to build the skills they need for good careers, helping to drive economic growth.”