The UK government has announced a massive funding boost to provide more skills training and facilities to universities and colleges in a bid to close the skills gap.

Educational facilities across England will benefit from almost £490 million, giving their students access to world-class facilities and enabling them to offer more high-quality training opportunities that will set them on a path to a great career.

“Investing in education and skills will unlock future growth, boost productivity and help build the skilled workforce of the future,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said.

Medical suites as well as engineering and science labs will be built as part of the multi-million-pound investment in university and college facilities.

One hundred colleges and universities have been awarded a share of £432m to invest over the next three years in new facilities and equipment to help level up more opportunities for people to gain vital skills. 

Meanwhile, £57m has also been awarded to 20 higher education providers for 2022/23, who specialise in areas including science, agriculture, business as well as creative and performing arts.

This funding will support them to offer a wider range of high-quality courses including specialist courses in cancer research, public health and tropical diseases.

“This investment is about making sure students get the highest quality training in key subjects which are driving economic growth,” Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said. 

“That means access to top of the range facilities which prepare people for the workplace, filling skills gaps and levelling up the whole country.”

Students will have access to high-quality training environments in vital subjects including engineering, medicine and science that will help get more people into jobs with higher wages, plug local skills gaps and support economic growth.

The £490m investment builds on the £150m provided to higher education providers by the Office for Students (OfS) in 2021/22. 

Susan Lapworth, chief executive of the OfS said: “The OfS-funded projects will ensure current and future students have a positive experience while studying expensive-to-deliver subjects that are strategically important to society.

“Taxpayers will feel these benefits too, as the investment will boost local and regional economies and support environmental sustainability.”

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While the investment is certainly good for education, especially subjects that are expensive to deliver, it is uncertain if this will really help the current skills shortages felt in many sectors across the UK. 

Retaining the talent grown in UK universities would also have to be a priority – while students may learn their skills in the UK, they may not be able to stay and work, and many UK citizens may choose to go elsewhere. 

According to Erudera, the total number of international students in the UK has risen by nearly a quarter (24.1%) since 2016. 

After Brexit, EU students who study in the UK will not be able to stay in the country to work as easily, and the current cost of living crisis may make working abroad more appealing to UK students who get degrees in key industries like medicine, engineering, and technology.

While investing in education is a positive, making the UK attractive and attainable after education may need to be addressed to lessen skills shortages. 

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