12/08/2025
Sunderland College leads the way to get the UK building again as a Technical Excellence College 👷🏼♂️🧱🛠️
Sunderland College is set to be at the forefront of educating the country’s engineers, bricklayers, carpenters, roofers and electricians of the future after being named as a new Technical Excellence College (TEC) allowing them to benefit from a share of £100 million.
The college is one of 10 in England awarded the prestigious status as more than 40,000 future builders, bricklayers, electricians, carpenters and plumbers will get the cutting edge skills to “get Britain building”.
The colleges have been selected to draw on homegrown, British talent in the years to come rather than relying on overseas workers, “backing the British working class with well-paid, high skilled job opportunities”.
Backed by a £100 million investment, the colleges will help deliver well-paid jobs for British workers, support the construction sector and deliver the Government’s commitment to build 1.5 million homes through its Plan for Change.
The Construction Industry Training Board estimates that 6,850 new construction workers are needed in the North East by 2028, and the new TEC in Sunderland will be integral to building the workforce of the future.
One of the reasons Sunderland was selected as one of the 10 is because of its new Housing Innovation and Construction Skills Academy (HICSA), a pioneering purpose-built gateway for housing and construction skills developed in close partnership with Sunderland City Council which is opening in September 2025.
