I know that the Government is committed to supporting people to realise their career aspirations without having to leave their communities, and to ensure that local employers have access to the skills they need to grow and thrive.
The Chancellor reaffirmed his support for FE during his Autumn Statement and recognised the pressures facing FE institutions. That is why he announced Sir Michael Barber’s appointment to lead a review into the skills sector. He will be advising the Chancellor and Education Secretary to help deliver on our ambitious skill agenda. In recent years the Government has transformed the skills landscape introducing new high-quality T Level courses; greater opportunities to upskill through our Skills Bootcamps; as well as Institutes of Technology which provide higher level technical education and training across a range of STEM occupations and industries.
This is backed up by significant investment already announced totalling £3.8 billion more in FE and skills over the Parliament. Furthermore, the Government will continue to encourage work-based training through apprenticeships in England, increasing funding to £2.7 billion by 2024-25.
Through its Further Education Capital Transformation Programme, the Government is investing £1.5 billion to upgrade the estate of FE colleges and designated institutions in England, promoting parity of esteem between FE and other routes. In March this year, the Government announced a further investment of £286 million of capital funding in financial years 2023-24 and 2024-25 to eligible FE colleges and designated institutions. An additional capital investment of up to £140 million has also been announced to enable colleges, academies and schools to add additional capacity where there is a pressing need for places for 16-19-year-olds in their local area, given local demographic pressures.
The Government has ambitious plans to reform the FE system through the Skills for Jobs White Paper and the Skills and Post-16 Education Act. This is being supported by the Levelling Up White Paper, published in February 2022, which outlined plans to radically shift the way in which skills policy is formulated and delivered.
In May this year, the Government launched a £165 million Local Skills Improvement Fund to enable FE providers in England to respond to priorities in new Local Skills Improvement Plans for their area, which are due to be published in the summer. The fund will directly align to the local skills needs identified by local businesses and plug local skills gaps. It will give thousands more people the opportunity to benefit from the training they need to find rewarding work close to home.
Furthermore, the Government has launched a Higher Technical Education Skills Injection Fund, which will provide up to £48 million of funding to support providers in delivering Higher Technical Qualifications in occupational areas including digital, engineering and manufacturing, and protective services in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 academic years.