Colleges to bid for share of Pounds 90 million

FURTHER education colleges will net a major share of the extra Pounds 250 million earmarked for education in the budget. Colleges have been invited to bid for a share of the Pounds 90 million set aside for improving workforce skills in information and communications technology. They will bid alongside training and enterprise councils and employers to set up centres of excellence for IT training. Education secretary David Blunkett expects at least 40 centres to be established by the end of the year as part of the infrastructure of the University for Industry. About Pounds 10 million of the Pounds 250 million will go towards UFI costs.