Vital funding boost for Brooksby Melton College

It ws announced today (Thursday) that the college will have a share of the £1.5billion FE Capital Transformation Fund.

The money will be spent solely on enhancing the Brooksby campus, and not on the Melton site, although it is unclear at this stage how much money will be received.

The Department for Education will work in partnership with Brooksby Melton College (BMC) and the 15 other colleges to fund projects to make significant improvements to their campuses.

The college is part of the SMB Group following the merger of BMC with Coalville-based Stephenson’s College.

Chief executive and principal, Dawn Whitemore, told the Melton Times: “I am delighted to confirm that Brooksby Melton College is one of only 16 Colleges selected by the government for priority funding to improve facilities at our Brooksby Campus.

“This is much needed and a major funding investment from the government, which will be truly transformational for our college.

“The Prime Minister has really provided us with a once in a lifetime opportunity to ensure we have facilities that are fit for purpose - enabling us to create a sustainable educational proposition.

“This means we can then concentrate all of our efforts, and play our role, in developing the skilled workforce that our country needs, whilst enriching the learning experience for our students.

“This announcement is just brilliant for our staff, students and stakeholders, particularly after the last 12 months.

“We look forward to working with the Government in the planning and renovation of our resources.”

The news was welcomed by Melton MP, Alicia Kearns, who said: “This is fantastic news for Brooksby Melton, which is a wonderful college.

“It is absolutely vital that the government invests in colleges which specialise in vocational training, and Brooksby is stand out, particularly in its land-based and performance arts courses and the exceptional results it supports students to achieve.

“I have been pushing for more investment in vocational education and I’m delighted that this funding will support Melton Brooksby to upgrade and revitalise their buildings and estate.”

Apprenticeships and Skills Minister, Gillian Keegan, said: “It is fantastic news that we are launching the next phase of this transformation programme, working collaboratively with a small number of colleges that are some of the most in need of support to upgrade and revitalise their estates.”