A combined authority is handing out £4.5 million in grants to colleges and training providers to fill further education “cold spots” in its smaller towns.
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) is targeting capital funding at four Cambridgeshire towns – St Neots, Huntingdon, Soham and Ely – which lack post-16 study options and have low participation levels.
CPCA hopes the projects will benefit more than 9,400 learners over the next three years through vocational training and apprenticeships in priority sectors including construction, advanced manufacturing and health and social care.
The bulk of the funding will go to Eastern Education Group, which has won £1.45 million to open East Cambridgeshire Training Centre in Soham and to buy and fit out a health and science education centre in nearby Ely, as well as £1.3 million for a “micro-construction facility” in St Neots.
Cambridge Regional College will also receive £1.1 million to build “immersive learning rooms” in Huntingdon, Cambridge and St Neots, it will also open a retrofit and green construction facility at its Huntingdon campus.
Private provider Back2Work Complete Training will receive £455,000 to open a green tech, construction and housing training centre in St Neots, with a target of supporting 2,030 learners. A smaller £100,000 sum will go to Steadfast Training for three electric “mobile training centre” vehicles containing computers for learners.
Paul Bristow (pictured), Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said: “These grants will put advanced, high-quality facilities in places where there is real need.
“And we’ll help thousands more people into great careers in growing local sectors that are crying out for new talent, such as in advanced manufacturing, construction, sciences, health and social care, digital and more.
“This is real progress towards our goal of helping every resident secure a good job or advance in their career.”
The authority first identified the towns with a “deficit” of post-16 places when it gained devolved control of skills funding in 2021, initially planning to build two new “flagship” FE buildings costing up to £40 million each.
This included in St Neots which, its local council argues, has 5,000 new homes planned, lacks vocational training facilities and would benefit from a new “anchor institution” in the town centre.
However, a feasibility study by consultants at Grant Thornton recommended funding existing providers to “scale up” as the business case for a new college was “weak” due to a “modest” predicted growth in learner numbers.
Earlier this year, CPCA ran a bidding competition for projects it could fund, receiving ten applications.
Laraine Moody, group principal for university and professional development at Eastern Education Group, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been awarded this funding, which will enable us to deliver transformative skills training right at the heart of communities that have historically been underserved.
“Our primary focus is on supporting employers; helping them to upskill their current workforce and creating clear pathways into employment for those who are out of work and need access to training.
“This investment isn’t just about new buildings – it’s about people. It’s about unlocking potential, changing lives, and helping local businesses and communities thrive.”
Luke Muscat, CEO of Back2Work Complete Training, said funding for the training centre in St Neots is “great stuff” that will help with purchase and installation of “super expensive” equipment such as mock up roofs with solar panels and heat pumps that can be used in skills bootcamps and apprenticeship training.
He added that without the funding, the company may not have invested in a lease on a building in a smaller town like St Neots.
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