Torbay set to benefit as Government unveils multimillion-pound education boost

Torbay and the wider Devon area are set to benefit from more than £3 million in new government funding to expand construction skills training, as part of a wider £21 million allocation for the South West.

The funding forms part of a national £570 million investment to increase capacity in further education and create additional training places across the country.

According to the Department for Education, the support will help fill growing demand for skilled workers in the region. The South West workforce requires 4,220 additional construction workers per year, and the funding is intended to help meet that need.

Colleges in Cornwall will receive more than £9 million, while the West of England area is due to receive more than £9 million. Devon and Torbay will receive over £3 million from the package.

The Department for Education says the funding will contribute to the government’s wider plan to deliver 60,000 additional construction workers to help build 1.5 million homes by the end of this Parliament.

Exeter College, which will receive part of the funding, is among the further education providers preparing to expand construction training to meet rising regional demand. The college already delivers hands-on courses in trades such as bricklaying, carpentry and plastering. Staff and students say the sector offers strong career prospects locally, with the funding expected to strengthen pathways into skilled employment across Devon and Torbay.

Alongside the funding announcement, applications have opened for the next wave of Technical Excellence Colleges, which will specialise in advanced manufacturing, defence, digital and clean energy skills. These will build on 10 existing TECs already launched for the construction sector.

The government says further investment will also support T Level providers, with £8.8 million for industry-standard equipment, and a new FE Teacher Industry Exchange pilot will begin in January to bring construction professionals into college classrooms.

Final allocations for the £283 million local funding share will be confirmed in the new year.