Central Bedfordshire colleges to get major £4m upgrade after Government cash award
Central Bedfordshire colleges are getting a major cash boost as part of a significant upgrade by the Government.
An announcement today (Wednesday), revealed the Bedford College Group will receive £4,366,206.33 as part of a £38 million programme to repair the East of England’s run-down colleges.
From repairing leaky roofs and fixing broken windows to updating worn-out heating systems, the group – which runs Central Bedfordshire College in Dunstable, Luton and Leighton Buzzard as well as Shuttleworth College and Bedford College – will be given flexibility to decide how the funding is spent.
Tracy Cowan, chief operating officer at The Bedford College Group, said: “This investment is extremely welcome and will make a tangible difference to our students, staff and communities.
"By addressing vital maintenance issues and modernising our buildings across the group, we are creating safer, more inclusive and more sustainable learning environments across all of our campuses.
"These upgrades will help remove barriers to learning, support skills development and ensure our estates reflect the ambition, talent and pride of the communities we serve.”
Jacqui Smith, the government’s skills minister, 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 £56 million investment will repair and modernise facilities across all 19 colleges in the East of England, giving young people the spaces they need to build the skills they need for good careers, helping to drive economic growth."