Kent college joins construction training push

North Kent College has been selected as a Technical Excellence College by the government

A Kent college will receive a share of £100m in investment as it becomes one of 10 specialist construction colleges across the UK.

North Kent College in Dartford will become a Technical Excellence College as part of a government push to train construction workers such as bricklayers, roofers and electricians.

A spokesperson for the college said it was "delighted" to be a part of the scheme and looks forward to developing training in the South East.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the new investment aims to train "homegrown talent" to help deliver growth, including the government's pledge to build 1.5 million homes.

The college added: "With our long history of construction training and major projects such as the Lower Thames Crossing and Ebbsfleet Garden City on our doorstep, these are exciting times for developing construction skills in Kent.

"We look forward to working closely with our two Kent partner colleges and also supporting wider initiatives with other South East regional colleges to develop and enhance construction training and employer engagement into the future."

Technical Excellence Colleges will train 40,000 construction students by 2029, the government says, and will work with training providers to try and boost standards.

The plans are in addition to a separate target, announced in March, to train 60,000 construction workers. The Department for Education said the initiative was part of reducing its reliance on foreign labour.

About 35,000 jobs needs to be filled in the construction sector, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.

A government spokesperson also claimed the move would "allow the industry to draw on homegrown, British talent" rather than overseas workers.