• Swindon & Wiltshire Education, training and skills
• Thursday April 11 2024
• Author Name: Peter Davison

New College Swindon wins significant funding to advance degree-level apprenticeships

New College Swindon has been awarded a slice of a £40 million grant designed to expand its degree-level apprenticeship provision, in partnership with the Swindon and Wiltshire Institute of Technology.

The Office for Students (OfS) announced the result of the second wave of funding and of 66 bids submitted, New College Swindon was one of only 13 successful colleges.

The funding will be used to offer Level 6 apprenticeships in digital & technology solutions and manufacturing engineering.

Matt Butcher, vice principal at New College Swindon said: “In the interest of reducing the skills gap across Swindon, an important strategic goal is to ensure apprenticeships are more accessible to the local community.”

“We have previously secured funding from the Local Skills Improvement Fund (LSIF) to support Level 3 apprenticeships and we can now expand our range of Level 6 progression routes even further.”

Not only will the funding ensure that apprentices have a clear understanding of the progression routes available to them, NCS will also be working closely with existing and new employer partners to recruit new talent, with the right skills into the workforce.

Many students choose to study at New College Swindon due to family commitments or simply because it is less expensive to study at home rather than away and offering clear progression routes to Level 6 ensures retention of students whilst addressing the skills gap and driving economic growth in the local community.