Michelle Scrogham, MP for Barrow and Furness, has welcomed the announcement that Furness College will become a Defence Technical Excellence Colleges (DTEC).

The College in partnership with Blackpool and The Fylde College (B&FC), will become one of only five DTEC nationally.

Ms Scrogham has been leading the campaign for Barrow and Furness to host one of the new colleges since the Labour Government committed to establishing them in the Defence Industrial Strategy last year.

Barrow and Furness MP Michelle Srogham said: “I have been campaigning for Furness College to become one of the new Defence Technical Excellence Colleges, and I was pleased to support the joint bid with Blackpool and The Fylde College.

“I welcome the collaboration between Furness College, B&FC and BAE Systems to deliver this successfully.

“This is fantastic achievement for our area, and this announcement is of national and international importance.

“This will provide even more opportunities for local people to access good quality, well-paid jobs in our shipyard and in the wider defence industry.

“This is good news for the whole of Barrow and Furness but particularly for our young people.”

The five DTECs across England will strengthen skills training and increase opportunities for people to access well-paid, skilled, jobs in the defence industry.

They will be supported by £50m in government funding.

The DTECs are being formed at existing further education colleges, recognised for providing ‘technical excellence’ and high-quality defence-focused education.

They will provide training and education in crucial skills required by the defence sector, for students aged 16 plus, giving young people and adults the opportunity to gain the skills necessary to start careers in the defence sector.

As a designated DTEC, Furness College will gain access to new, dedicated defence‑focused investment, including national funding streams linked to priority skills, specialist technical equipment, estates development and workforce capacity.

Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard MP said: “Labour is making Defence an engine for growth, and critical to that is ensuring we have a pipeline of skilled workers for the good, unionised jobs in the sector.

“We are backing young people across England today with a £50m investment in Defence Technical Excellence Colleges, and meeting the promises made in the Defence Industrial Strategy.

“This is the Labour Government delivering for the country and delivering for Defence”. 

This Labour Government has committed to the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War.

Investing £270bn across this parliament in defence and hitting 2.6 percent of GDP by April 2027, a level not seen once under fourteen years of the previous government.