Colleges Week 2024
There will be a general debate on Colleges Week 2024 at 1:30pm on Thursday 29 February 2024. This debate will take place in Westminster Hall and will be led by Peter Aldous MP.
The seventh Colleges Week is taking place between 26 February and 1 March 2024. The Association of Colleges, which represents more than 90% of England’s colleges, launched Colleges Week in 2018 to celebrate the contribution that colleges make to their communities and the country, and to raise awareness of the challenges they face.
There are 225 colleges in England, with the most common being general further education colleges and sixth-form colleges. There are a further 24 colleges in Scotland, 16 in Wales, and 7 in Northern Ireland. Colleges provide academic, technical, and professional education and training for around 1.6 million people in England each year, including:
- 925,000 adults who study or train.
- 608,000 16- to 18-year-olds who study.
- Over 160,000 people on apprenticeship provision.
Colleges across England employ over 100,000 full-time equivalent staff, often making them a local area’s largest employer
The Association of Colleges has published an overview of the main facts and figures relating to colleges in England. It contains information and statistics on student numbers, courses, staff, and finances. A full list of the location and type of all the colleges in the UK is also available on the Association of Colleges website.
More information on college funding, financial support for students, ongoing qualification reform, and apprenticeships is available in the debate pack.