Boston College set for share of £1.5 billion to upgrade buildings

A college which caters for students from our area is set to benefit from its share of £1.5 billion.

Boston College is one of 146 centres in the country to receive funds from the Government’s Further Education Capital Transformation Programme, which is earmarked to help upgrade classrooms, buildings and transform campuses.

The college, which also has a campus in Spalding, will receive £528,413.64 during the 2023/24 financial year.

A statement from the college said: “We are currently working on an estates strategy to allocate the funding.

“The funding is allocated in accordance with the condition of the estate and as the Spalding campus is fairly new compared to other parts of the college estate, it is more than likely the funding will be used on other campuses and buildings.”

Nick Worth, vice-chairman of the governors added: “The funding has been well received and we continue to update the estate on a regular basis, so that will help with that and help with education as well.

“I would imagine it (the funding) would mostly be for the Boston campus, mainly because the Spalding one’s fairly up-to-date and modern anyway.”

The Spalding site - which runs courses from GCSE evening classes to university-level qualifications - has recently undergone a £200,000 development which included a 100-seat lecture theatre as well as dedicated university-level classrooms and outdoor seating.

Many students from this area attend the Boston campus.

“I think Boston College is on a real up at the moment and doing very well with its grades,” Mr Worth added.

“It’s the place to be. It links people into what businesses want, so courses are very much aimed at what people want.”

The Government’s website explains that ‘the FE capital transformation programme is just one part of a wider scheme of Government investment to transform post-16 education and training, ensuring that every student can gain the skills they need to progress and secure a good job’.

It add that this includes investment to support the roll out of the new T Levels qualification and to boost capacity so there is a place for every 16 to 19-year-old.

The Further Education Capital Transfer programme is part of £2.5 billion investment into education, which will also benefit primary schools.

Last week we revealed schools in our area will share £219,502 for the 2023/24 financial year.

Spalding High School and 32 primary schools in the patch will share £220,000.

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