Peter Aldous welcomes the significant infrastructure investment at East Coast College with the energy skills centre in Lowestoft and the civil engineering and construction campus at Lound, but calls for a long-term strategic approach to ensure that local people can acquire the necessary skills for the jobs emerging in low-carbon energy along the East Anglian coast.
Further Education Estate
Peter Aldous (Waveney) (Con)
2. What steps his Department is taking to upgrade the further education estate. (900833)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Alex Burghart)
We want all colleges in England to be able to provide a world-class education, which is why we are delivering our manifesto commitment to offer £1.5 billion to upgrade the further education college estate over the next six years. We have surveyed the condition of FE estates—all colleges received their own survey—and we intend to publish a national overview of the results in the next academic year.
Peter Aldous
Significant investment has taken place and is taking place at East Coast College, with the energy skills centre in Lowestoft and the civil engineering and construction campus at Lound. However, a long-term strategic approach is required to ensure that local people have the full opportunity to acquire the necessary skills for the many jobs emerging in low-carbon energy along the East Anglian coast. Will my hon. Friend meet East Coast College and myself to go through its strategy and agree a plan for its implementation?
Alex Burghart
I thank my hon. Friend for his interest in this agenda. I would be delighted to meet him and his college.