Skills minister Anne Milton has announced 13 colleges across England that will receive funding to help drive up standards.
The funds, totalling £1.8 million, represent the second round of the strategic college improvement fund (SCIF) worth a total of £15 million.
The fund was launched in June 2018, and 63 colleges across England have been successful in securing funding to work with a high-performing “partnering” college to share their knowledge and expertise to help tackle issues. These, according to the government, include raising the standard of teaching or boosting learner attendance and retention.
Read more: College improvement fund opens for applications
More news: New phase of £15m college improvement fund
Background: Next phase of college improvement fund launches
Ms Milton said that colleges had a vital role to play in making sure people of all ages and backgrounds had the chance to learn new skills and go on to build successful careers.
“The strategic college improvement fund is designed to help support colleges to improve and make sure their students receive the high-quality education they deserve,” she added. “I’m thrilled to announce the second round of colleges to receive funding from the scheme. We’ve seen great success so far and I look forward to hearing how they are all progressing.”
David Corke, director of policy at the Association of Colleges, said: “Colleges have really valued the opportunity to share successful practice through previous rounds of the SCIF and this is contributing to driving improvement within our sector. All colleges that identify areas for improvement can benefit from quality-improvement peer networks and the learning should then be shared widely in the sector.”
Colleges sharing the £1.8m funding:
- Brockenhurst College (lead partner college: Exeter College)
- Cheadle and Marple Sixth Form College (lead partner college: Tameside College)
- Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College (lead partner college: Derwentside College)
- Hull College (lead partner college: Chichester College Group)
- John Ruskin College (lead partner college: East Surrey College)
- Kensington and Chelsea College (lead partner college: Abingdon and Witney College)
- Lambeth College (lead partner college: Buckinghamshire College Group)
- Peterborough Regional College (lead partner college: New College Stamford)
- South Essex College of Further and Higher Education (lead partner college: East Kent College Group)
- St Charles Catholic Sixth Form College (lead partner college: St Dominic’s Sixth Form College)
- Vision West Nottinghamshire College (lead partner college: Leicester College)
- Wigan and Leigh College (lead partner college: Craven College)
- Wirral Metropolitan College (lead partner college: Burnley College)
