Milton Keynes College Group has been awarded just over £2 million from the Department for Education’s Post-16 Capacity Fund to create additional teaching and learning space, helping meet growing demand for education and skills training across the region.

The investment will support a significant programme of estate improvements, transforming existing areas within the College Group into modern, fit-for-purpose classrooms and other learning environments.  The project will create much-needed additional teaching capacity, ensuring increasing demand from learners can be met and the overall learning experience enhanced.

As student numbers grow, the development will provide high-quality learning spaces that support the College Group’s commitment to delivering outstanding education and training opportunities across Milton Keynes and the wider region.

The project dovetails with Milton Keynes College Group’s ambitions set out in the Strategic Plan launching this September, strengthening its ability to respond to local and regional skills priorities and invest in the facilities needed to support future growth.  The investment will help ensure the availability of the facilities and capacity needed to deliver plans for growth and meet the evolving needs of learners, employers and the wider area.

Sally Alexander MBE, Group Principal and CEO of Milton Keynes College Group, said, “We are delighted to have secured this important investment from the Department for Education.  Demand for post-16 education and training continues to grow, and this funding will enable us to create additional high-quality teaching and learning space for our learners.

By transforming existing areas of our estate into modern, fit-for-purpose learning environments, we are making the best possible use of our facilities while ensuring we have the capacity to meet future demand.  This investment supports our ambitions with our strategic plan and our commitment to providing the education, skills and opportunities that individuals, communities and employers need to thrive.”

All three of the city’s MPs have welcomed the news.

Callum Anderson MP for Buckingham and Bletchley says, “MK College is one of Milton Keynes’ great success stories, and I have the privilege of visiting its Bletchley campus regularly.  This latest investment, alongside the College’s selection as one of only 19 Centres of Technical Excellence nationwide, demonstrates the Government’s strong commitment to high-quality post-16 education and skills training.

This is particularly important as Milton Keynes and the wider region prepare to benefit from major opportunities such as East West Rail and the arrival of Universal Studios. Ensuring local people have the technical skills and qualifications needed to seize these opportunities will be critical to driving economic growth, creating well-paid jobs and helping our young people get good jobs where they are from.”

Milton Keynes North MP, Chris Curtis adds, “Milton Keynes was built by those who had the right skills at the right time.  With our city growing and exciting regional projects like East West Rail and Universal Studios on our doorstep, it has never been more important that our young people are connected with education and training opportunities that can unlock their potential and bring growth to our city.  Milton Keynes College is a fantastic champion for their learners and for Milton Keynes, and I am extremely pleased to see this £2m investment.  Young people in our city must be able to find rewarding and secure work, no matter their postcode”.

And Emily Darlington, MP for Milton Keynes Central says, “Milton Keynes has always been a city that thinks big.  It was built on ambition, innovation and the idea that we can do things differently, and I want the next generation growing up here to inherit that same sense of possibility.  That’s why this £2 million investment in Milton Keynes College is so important.  As our city grows and new opportunities come our way, we need to make sure our young people have the skills to be the ones shaping what comes next.  MK College is a huge part of that by giving young people the chance to turn their ambitions into great careers and making sure the growth and innovation happening in Milton Keynes benefits the people who call it home.”

The additional capacity will support the College Group’s continued growth and strengthen its ability to deliver education and training in line with local and regional skills priorities, helping learners progress into higher education, apprenticeships and employment.

Students will begin benefiting from the additional learning space during the 2026/27 academic year.