Revealed: The FE providers to win Turing Scheme funding

Over one hundred colleges and training providers have been awarded funding under the government’s new Turing Scheme – but FE will only receive two-thirds of the promised cash owing to lack of demand.

The Department for Education has today revealed the winning bidders to the scheme, which includes 110 further and vocational education providers. Ninety-three are from England, two are from Wales, six from Scotland, and nine from Northern Ireland.

FE Week has also been told £22 million of the overall £110 million pot has been allocated to pay for FE and VET students to undertake work and study placements abroad.

Higher education institutions received just above £67 million from the scheme, and schools just under £7.5m.

This is despite one of the Turing Scheme’s delivery partners, Ecorys, telling FE Week in March the FE sector was in line for £35 million, meaning that 62 per cent of the estimate has been offered.

The Department for Education said all FE and VET providers received the full amount they bid for, adding that there was less demand from colleges and training providers than anticipated while there was greater-than-expected demand from universities.

Furthermore, just under 6,000 FE students will take part in the Turing Scheme this year, the DfE said today, which is 60 per cent of the 10,000 Ecorys had estimated.

The Turing Scheme has replaced the Erasmus+ programme the UK pulled out of last year.

Around 55 per cent of participants from the FE and vocational sector will be from disadvantaged backgrounds.

This trumps the estimated 48 per cent for the scheme overall, which includes participants from schools and universities.

Multiple successful colleges had not taken part in Erasmus

Education secretary Gavin Williamson said today the “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity to work and learn abroad had been “disproportionately enjoyed by those from the most privileged backgrounds” until now.

The DfE claims a total of 40,000 individual placements will be supported through the scheme this year, which they say exceeds their own estimates.

A number of colleges which successfully bid for funding under the Turing Scheme did not take part in Erasmus, the DfE has said.

Association of Colleges chief executive David Hughes called it “encouraging to see colleges taking up all that Turing can offer – including colleges that are newer to international partnerships”.

Turing Scheme funding broken down

Placements on the Turing Scheme, named after the famous codebreaker Alan Turing, can last between two weeks and 12 months.

Colleges, schools and universities have been bidding for the funding since applications opened in March.

The bidding documents showed that, as well as taking up placements abroad, learners can also use the funding to partake of international skills competitions, which can last between one and ten days.

FE and VET applicants will receive up to £1,360 for travel costs and up to £109 per day for living costs.

Disadvantaged students will be funded at actual cost for additional travel expenses, including for visas, passports and health insurance. 

Learners with SEND will receive funding for up to 100 per cent of actual costs for support directly related to their additional needs.

Providers are also set to get £315 per participant to fund organisational support for their first 100 participants, and £180 per participant over that number.

The colleges and training providers awarded funding: