£46m to help colleges and universities reach net zero

The Welsh Government has announced £46m to help post-16 education and community learning providers reduce their carbon footprint and improve their digital connectivity.

The Welsh Government has committed to reach net zero by 2050, and has also announced that all new school and college buildings will be required to meet net zero carbon targets.

Education providers will use the funding on innovative plans to improve their carbon footprints, as well as improvements to infrastructure, such as converting to LED lighting and increasing the number of electric car charging points.

New training materials will also be developed for college students to learn about net zero carbon Zero part of their training, adapted for the wide range of courses available in further education. For example, students on hairdressing or beauty courses may learn about the origin of the chemicals they use and disposing of them in an environmentally-friendly way. Students on construction courses will learn about renewable energy sources and retrofitting.  

Funding will also be provided to help further education providers meet the increased costs of consumable materials, such as bricks and timber, which are used in many vocational college courses. The cost of steel, for example, is known to have increased significantly during the pandemic.