Further education colleges will be able to bid to become specialist ‘technical excellence colleges’ under a Labour government, Keir Starmer will announce at his party’s annual conference on Tuesday.
Under Starmer’s plans, universities will get a seat around the table in the development of local skills improvement plans (LSIPs) and new statutory guidance would make the plans “democratically accountable” to local communities.
Local government as well as local businesses will be involved in developing the plans.
Labour said existing LSIP funding, like the local skills improvement fund, would be “repurposed” to help colleges specialise and become ‘technical excellence colleges.’
