Preston College Secures £3.6m to Transform its Construction Centre

Preston College has secured £3.6 million of Government funding to transform and expand its Construction Skills Centre. The project will create greater capacity for a modern, industry-standard training facility to train the future workforce Lancashire needs to support its ambitious housing, infrastructure and economic growth.

This significant investment has been awarded through the Government’s Construction Skills Capacity Fund and will enable a major remodelling and enhancement of the College’s existing construction facilities. The enhanced facilities will be ready for the 2027/28 academic year.

The investment comes at a pivotal time for both technical education and the construction industry. Across the country, colleges are facing increasing demand for construction training, with reports that thousands of young people have been unable to access their preferred construction courses because of a lack of specialist workshop capacity.

The announcement also comes as technical education is receiving a renewed national focus, with the Prime Minister setting out a clear ambition to raise the status of technical and vocational education, and give young people earlier access to technical education, skills training, work experience and employer connections. In a recent speech, the Prime Minister outlined that Britain should value “the hard hat as much as the graduation cap”.

For Preston College, the £3.6m investment provides a practical demonstration of what this ambition can mean: giving students access to high-quality, industry-standard facilities and clear routes into skilled careers, or progression to further learning in Level 4 and 5 qualifications, higher-level apprenticeships and higher education programmes.

Mick Noblett, Vice Principal for Curriculum Delivery and Planning says: “This is fantastic news for Preston College, our students, employers and the wider Lancashire economy. Securing £3.6 million of investment through the Construction Skills Capacity Fund is a significant achievement and something we should rightly celebrate. It represents a major vote of confidence in the College’s role in delivering the skilled workforce that Lancashire needs.

“We know there is significant demand for construction training from young people and adults, and we know from our close relationships with employers where the skills shortages and future opportunities are. Our challenge has been having the specialist space to respond to that demand.”

For Preston College, the funding will remove this substantial barrier to growth, enabling the College to expand its high-quality construction provision. Until now, the availability of specialist workshop space has constrained the College’s ability to respond fully to this demand; this investment will provide the capacity and facilities needed to expand provision.

The expanded facilities will increase capacity across traditional construction trades including brickwork, plastering, carpentry and joinery, alongside Building Services Engineering and emerging areas of modern methods of construction and low-carbon building techniques, providing industry-standard environments that reflect current and emerging practice and aligning to employer needs.

A new era for technical education

Students using the enhanced facilities will benefit from significant employer engagement, including live project briefs, industry input, mentoring and clear progression routes into apprenticeships and employment.

The result will be an expansive skills pathway, from entry-level provision through to advanced technical and professional roles – helping more people in Lancashire to access rewarding careers while giving employers a stronger pipeline of skilled talent.

Simon Nixon, Principal and Chief Executive of Preston College says; “Construction is fundamental to Lancashire’s future – from delivering the homes we need, to major infrastructure, energy efficiency and the transition towards a lower-carbon economy. We are proud to be playing our part in making sure Lancashire has the skilled people needed to deliver that future.

“It is also particularly timely given the renewed national focus on technical education. There should be no hierarchy between academic and technical routes. Young people and adults deserve high-quality choices that lead to successful careers, and this investment will help us provide exactly that.

“We are appreciative of the investment from the Department for Education, and are now looking forward to working with our employer partners and wider regional stakeholders to make the very most of this investment and create an outstanding Construction Skills Centre for Lancashire. This will further strengthen Preston College’s position as the first choice for technical education in the region, and ensure that students and employers continue to have access to the high-quality skills training they need for the future.”