The Mayor of London has provided over £10m of funding to London South East Colleges as part of his Skills for Londoners Capital Fund.
This grant will support both the development of a new vocational training centre at the College’s Greenwich Campus and will also help deliver the final stage of the Mayor’s Construction Academy scheme.
In an announcement made on Wednesday 8 May. the London Economic Action Partnership (LEAP) has committed £57.6 million of funding to 17 further education projects in 11 boroughs.
London South East Colleges has been awarded £10m of this money to create new high quality provision in digital skills, creative arts, health and social care, and motor vehicle technology in Greenwich. A further grant of £819,720 has been awarded as part of the Mayor’s Construction Academy, to enable delivery of employer-responsive pop-up centres across south east London.
Principal and CEO of London South East Colleges, Sam Parrett OBE, said: “We are extremely grateful to both the Mayor and to the Royal Borough of Greenwich for their support in developing our new college. This investment is greatly needed and since we took on the management of the former Greenwich Community College in Greenwich in 2016. This funding will be matched by the College’s own funds, and will enable us to build a new £24 million campus.
“It will be a leading education facility, designed and purpose built to meet the needs of learners for generations to come, enabling the residents of the borough to gain the skills and qualifications they need to progress into higher value jobs and careers in Greenwich and in the wider London economy.
“We are also delighted to be awarded the funding we need to deliver the final stage of the Mayor’s Construction Academy scheme. Our employer-responsive pop up centres will help strengthen high quality construction skills delivery across the region.
“We are looking forward to working with our partners to make both the new College and the MCA project a reality.”
The total GLA funding of £57.6m is expected to benefit almost 20,000 additional learners of all abilities and backgrounds, including nearly 5,000 new apprenticeships and 5,000 new work placements.
Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and Skills, Jules Pipe, said: “The Mayor and I are committed to helping create the workforce of the future and ensuring all Londoners have the skills they need to participate in our dynamic economy. This money from the Skills for Londoners Capital Fund will create state-of-the-art facilities and I look forward to seeing learners reap the benefits of the new skills they will acquire.”
The Mayor’s Skills for Londoners Capital Fund supports the building and refurbishment of training facilities to support skills development, vocational training and adult learning across sectors including digital, health and social care, science and technology and construction.