Government scheme to provide 65,000 youths with skills training in defence, green energy and tech
A major government investment of £175 million will fund 19 new specialist colleges across England, aiming to train tens of thousands of young people for high-priority careers in defence, clean energy, digital and advanced manufacturing. The initiative targets a projected shortfall of nearly 600,000 additional workers needed in these sectors by the end of the decade.
Funding and Strategic Aims
The capital for the new Technical Excellence Colleges (TECs) is a joint commitment from three government departments. The Department for Education is contributing £97 million, the Ministry of Defence £50 million, and the Department for Business and Trade £28 million. The funding is intended for high-quality teaching, new course development, and specialist equipment.
Minister for Skills Baroness Jacqui Smith said the investment was about building a “pipeline of skilled workers” for industries fundamental to the UK’s future. She connected the sector choices directly to contemporary challenges, telling the Press Association that clean energy training would speed up the shift to renewables and protect energy supply, while the defence focus responded to global instability.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer endorsed the plan, stating: “I want every young person to know there is a clear route into well‑paid work, whatever their background. These colleges put technical skills front and centre, opening up high‑quality jobs in the industries driving Britain’s future.”
This announcement marks the second wave of such colleges, following an initial investment of £100 million in 10 TECs specialising in construction last August.
Addressing the ‘NEET’ Challenge and Skills Gaps
The expansion comes against a backdrop of significant skills shortages and concern over young people becoming disconnected from the workforce. Official figures show that in October to December 2025, an estimated 957,000 individuals aged 16 to 24 were classified as NEET—not in education, employment, or training. This represents 12.8% of that age group, a rate that has been rising in recent years.
Baroness Smith described this high number as both a “loss of opportunity” for the young people and a “loss for the country.” She argued that high-quality, targeted technical provision was key to addressing it. “We need our schools to better identify the young people who are potentially going to become Neet, we need them to take responsibility for making sure that young people have got the places, the college places, the apprenticeships, the jobs to go into,” she told PA.
The new colleges are designed as a direct solution, aiming to plug specific and severe skills gaps across the chosen sectors. In advanced manufacturing, which directly supports 760,000 UK jobs, 42% of vacancies remained unfilled in 2024. The digital sector sees over 170,000 tech jobs advertised monthly, yet 76% of employers report difficulty filling roles. The clean energy sector is projected to need 400,000 additional workers by 2030 to meet net-zero targets. The Ministry of Defence’s direct £50 million investment underscores the strategic imperative to build domestic skills for the defence industry.
The government has an overarching target for two-thirds of young people to be in higher education, higher-level training, or a gold-standard apprenticeship by age 25. The TEC programme is framed as a crucial pathway to help meet this goal.
Student Success in Practice
The model is already in action at institutions like Milton Keynes College, which has been selected as a TEC for digital. During a visit, Baroness Smith met students training in robotics and artificial intelligence.
Jawad Al Midani, 21, who began on a Level 1 course and is now studying for a Higher National Diploma (HND) in cyber security, said: “I feel as soon as I finish my qualifications I’ll be ready to start my career.”
Another student, 18-year-old Christian Proctor, who is taking a Higher National Certificate (HNC) in games design, expressed confidence that the skills he was learning would equip him for his next steps.
The 19 new colleges are: for Defence—Blackpool and The Fylde College, City College Plymouth, Lincoln College, RNN Group, and Yeovil College; for Clean Energy—Colchester Institute, South Bank Colleges, The City of Liverpool College, The Education Training Collective, and University Centre Somerset College Group; for Digital and Technologies—Birmingham Metropolitan College, Capital City College Group, Gloucestershire College, LTE Group, and Milton Keynes College; for Advanced Manufacturing—City of Wolverhampton College, New College Durham, Newcastle and Stafford College Group, and Weston College of Further and Higher Education.
