College secures £5m funding boost to meet growing demand

Plumpton College is delighted to have been awarded funding through the Department for Education's Post-16 Capacity Fund, securing an investment of just under £5 million to increase capacity and support its continued growth.

The College was awarded the maximum amount available through the fund and is one of only 60 colleges nationally to receive investment, recognising the important role Plumpton College plays in delivering the skills needed by the regional and national economy.

The investment will enable the college to continue the development of its existing estate, one of the largest educational estates in the country, through the refurbishment and repurposing of existing buildings, including the development of specialist technical teaching facilities relevant to a range of important growth industries, such as Horticulture, Forestry and woodland management and Agriculture.

The development will help the College respond to increasing application numbers for its courses and create additional capacity for learners at a time when demand for further education and technical skills continues to grow.

Plumpton College is one of the country's top-performing specialist land and environment colleges and one of only eight remaining independent land-based colleges in England.

Around 5,000 learners now study with the College each year, including 1,500 full-time students aged 16 to 18. Student numbers have continued to grow significantly over the past decade (50%), reflecting Plumpton's distinctive specialist offer and its reputation for high-quality teaching, strong retention and successful progression into employment, higher education and apprenticeships – above 90% annually.

The Association of Colleges estimated in April that colleges would teach 22,106 more 16 to 18-year-olds in 2027 than they are funded for.

The 16 to 18 population grew by 230,000, or 13 per cent, between 2017 and 2024 and is forecast to rise by a further 110,000 by 2028, peaking nationally in the 2028-29 academic year.

The College offers one of the most comprehensive specialist land-based curriculums in the South East, including agriculture, agricultural engineering, arboriculture, horticulture, forestry, countryside and viticulture from entry to Master’s level.

For many learners in the region, specialist providers are too far away to travel to daily, while residential accommodation is already operating at capacity. Expanding Plumpton's facilities will therefore enable more young people to access specialist technical education closer to home.

The investment also supports the UK's growing focus on Agritech, sustainable food production, environmental management and animal health and welfare. Skills England predicts that skilled agricultural and related trades will grow by 16% in Sussex between 2025 and 2035, representing the second-largest area of occupational growth in the county.

These sectors have been identified as important priorities for economic growth, with employers increasingly requiring a workforce equipped with the technical knowledge and practical skills needed to improve productivity, embrace new technology and support sustainable land and food systems.

The development of specialist new facilities, particularly at Lambert Farm will enable the college to continue to provide industry-standard learning environments that replicate real working conditions and enable learners to develop the technical competencies, behaviours and confidence required by employers.

The development will also support the continued growth of the College's LandPro Training provision, with dedicated facilities for adult upskilling and professional qualifications for those already working in industry.

Enhanced facilities and learning environments will strengthen progression pathways from entry-level learning through to higher technical education, while also supporting the re-engagement of young people who are not currently in education, employment or training.

Jeremy Kerswell, CEO & Principal of Plumpton College Group, said:

Plumpton College has continued to go from strength to strength. More people are choosing to study with us because of our high-quality teaching and learning, excellent retention and the strong progression our learners achieve into employment, and higher levels of study.

Our sectors are facing significant skills gaps and are in great need for skilled labour nationally. As a specialist land and environment college, we have continued to invest significantly in our campus and resources, ensuring that our learners have access to the most relevant technology and high-quality teaching environments.

We are attracting more students than ever before, and this funding will help us secure the next stage of our development. It will enable us to offer more places to young people and expand capacity in the areas where additional specialist training is needed most.

This investment will ensure that we can continue to meet the skills and workforce needs of our local economy while training the next generation of professionals for the food, farming, environment and wider land-based industries.

James MacCleary MP for Lewes commented:

It is fantastic to see investment in a college that plays such an important role in training the next generation for our food, farming and environmental sectors.

A huge well done to everyone at Plumpton College. This is a brilliant result for the College and for our local area.

The College has also received support from industry and local partners, including Crawfords, the Royal Forestry Society and East Sussex County Council, who recognise the important role Plumpton College plays in responding to local and regional skills needs.

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