Forty six colleges will receive Enhanced Renewal Grants, the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) has announced.
The additional funding, worth up to £2 million per college, is part of a new two year Capital Programme launched by the Government in September.
Geoff Russell, chief executive of the SFA, said: “The Government’s willingness to make this additional investment is an indication of the crucial role that Further Education colleges can play in providing skills training to regenerate local communities and the economy.
“The standard of bids received was extremely high and we are pleased that some of the most innovative projects have been chosen with the result that more young people, adults and employers will benefit from up-to-date, inspirational learning facilities.”
The grants are part of a £100 million programme announced by skills minister John Hayes as part of the ‘New Challenges, New Chances’ report, published in August.
Nineteen additional applications are unlikely to be funded by the SFA, despite meeting the appropriate quality standards.
The SFA says some, or all of these bids could be accepted though if additional funds are made available.
A press release from the SFA states: “BIS and the Agency are considering possible additional funding options which might allow the projects to be funded.
“These colleges will be advised by the end of January 2012.
All 252 FE colleges were given a £100,000 Renewal Grant as part of the Capital Programme in November.
Colleges received the money provided they could put forward twice the allocated amount for a project considered “appropriate” by the SFA.
The ‘Enhanced Renewal Grant and Renewal Grant Phase 2, Application Guidance and Information Version 5’ states: “Colleges will have to confirm that the works will deliver clear benefits in terms of
improved condition of the college estate, benefits to learners, particularly learners with learning difficulties and disabilities and impact on urban and rural regeneration and that funding from the Agency can be drawn down and spent by 31 March 2012.”
The Enhanced Renewal Grant increases the funding to up to £2 mllion, although colleges will still need to supply twice the allocation to proceed with a project.
Colleges which have received an Enhanced Renewal Grant must complete the project by September 2013, and be operational by the start of the 2013/14 academic year.
The successful colleges include:
Barking and Dagenham College
Bexley College
Blackburn College
Boston College
Calderdale College
Cambridge Regional College
Canterbury College
Carlisle College
Chelmsford College
Chesterfield College
City of Bristol College
College of West Anglia
Cornwall College
Derby College
East Berkshire College
East Riding College
Filton College
Guildford College of Further and Higher Education
Hopwood Hall
Huntingdonshire Regional College
Leeds City College
Newcastle College
Northbrook College Sussex
Norton Radstock College
Norwich City College of F and HE
PETROC
Rotherham College of Arts and Technology
Salford City College
SEEVIC
Shrewsbury College of Arts & Technology
South Leicestershire College
South Staffordshire College
South Tyneside College
Stockport College
Stoke on Trent College
Telford College of Arts and Technology
Thanet College
The Bournemouth and Poole College
The Oldham College
Trafford College
Waltham Forest College
Warwickshire College
West Nottinghamshire College
Weston College
Wigan and Leigh College
Wirral Metropolitan College
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