{"id":855742,"date":"2025-06-15T09:11:53","date_gmt":"2025-06-15T14:11:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/15\/dfe-launches-bid-process-for-10-construction-college-hubs\/"},"modified":"2025-06-15T09:11:53","modified_gmt":"2025-06-15T14:11:53","slug":"dfe-launches-bid-process-for-10-construction-college-hubs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/15\/dfe-launches-bid-process-for-10-construction-college-hubs\/","title":{"rendered":"DfE launches bid process for 10 construction college hubs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Department for Education (DfE) has opened applications for 10 new technical colleges specialising in construction, first announced as part of a \u00a3600m skills package in March.<\/p>\n

The Construction Technical Excellence Colleges (CTECs), backed by \u00a3100m in government funding, will each serve as a regional hub to boost advanced training in trades and engineering, with one located in every English region and one area receiving two.<\/p>\n

The initiative is part of the government\u2019s wider Construction Skills Action Plan to train 60,000 additional workers by 2029. Oversight will be provided by the newly established Construction Skills Mission Board, co-chaired by the DfE and Mace executive chair Mark Reynolds, also co-chair of the Construction Leadership Board.<\/p>\n

Colleges must demonstrate financial strength, a \u201cgood\u201d or \u201coutstanding\u201d Ofsted rating, and capacity to lead training partnerships with other providers across their region.<\/p>\n

They must support at least 525 construction learners, with a high proportion achieving qualifications.<\/p>\n

CTECs will operate a \u201chub and spoke\u201d model, working with local further education providers and employers to share curricula, training, and professional development.<\/p>\n

Capital funding of \u00a380m and \u00a320m in revenue funding have been earmarked for the programme, but access to capital will be determined through a separate process.<\/p>\n

The DfE has warned there is no guarantee every CTEC will receive capital support.<\/p>\n

The colleges are expected to boost on-site learning, increase employer involvement in course design, and facilitate high-quality industry placements. Bidders are encouraged to submit evidence of employer endorsements, which may be used to differentiate candidates in competitive regions.<\/p>\n

The DfE will also consider recommendations from mayoral and combined authorities, particularly in areas with devolved powers and high infrastructure demand.<\/p>\n

A tenth CTEC will be selected from the highest-scoring runners-up and will focus on supporting cross-regional delivery.<\/p>\n

The announcement builds on a wider training package<\/a>, which includes \u00a3165m to expand construction course capacity, \u00a3100m to extend Skills Bootcamps, and \u00a340m for new foundation apprenticeships starting in August 2025. A \u00a3132m scheme \u2013 jointly funded with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) \u2013 will support more than 40,000 annual placements for learners on Level 2 and Level 3 qualifications.<\/p>\n

Reynolds welcomed the investment, calling it a \u201chugely significant funding package\u201d that would help firms gain the confidence to invest in new jobs and skills.<\/p>\n

Tim Balcon, chief executive of the CITB, said it was a \u201conce-in-a-generation chance\u201d for the industry to train the workforce needed to deliver future growth.<\/p>\n

Applications must be submitted by 11:59pm on Friday 4 July 2025. A co-design process will run from September to April 2026.<\/p>\n

Colleges will retain their CTEC status beyond that point, but performance will be reviewed, with funding and designation subject to withdrawal if standards are not maintained.<\/p>\n

The tenth CTEC will be chosen from the highest-scoring region and will be expected to operate across regional boundaries, supporting national delivery and cross-regional programme activity<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>
\n Colin Marrs<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Department for Education (DfE) has opened applications for 10 new technical colleges specialising in construction, first announced as part of a \u00a3600m skills package in March. The Construction Technical Excellence Colleges (CTECs), backed by \u00a3100m in government funding, will each serve as a regional hub to boost advanced training in trades and engineering, with<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":855743,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2432,4491],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-855742","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-launches","8":"category-process"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/855742","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=855742"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/855742\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/855743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=855742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=855742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=855742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}