A Greener Education

email to a friend | user comments

Published: 13 February 2007

A Greener Education

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has revealed its strategy for building greener colleges of the future.

Bill Rammell MP, Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education has launched the LSC prospectus, which for the first time states that Colleges must include green proposals in their designs if they are to win funding.

The Government has made a commitment to rebuilding the FE Estate, investing £750 million annually on capital projects by 2011. In addition, later this year, Work Based Learning providers as well as colleges will be able to bid for capital funding.

From now on, colleges and other qualifying providers will be strongly encouraged to embed principles of sustainability in the design of their buildings & building systems:

· This is part of the Government’s commitment to making FE buildings more eco-friendly, efficient and cost-effective

· Colleges will need to maximise the use of natural lighting and ventilation by, for example, using wind and solar power to generate light & heat and collect & re-use rainwater to reduce water usage

· This builds on the LSC’s strategy From here to Sustainability which was launched in 2005

The aim is to improve the quality of the FE estate, allowing colleges and sixth forms to better meet the needs of learners, employers and communities.

This will hopefully equip them with high-quality skills for productive, sustainable employment and personal fulfilment; and ensure that employers have the right skills for their business to succeed in a competitive global economy.

Mark Haysom, Chief Executive of the LSC said:

“One of our main priorities between now and 2010-11 is to maximise the scale of FE development, making world-class, 21st century facilities available to all learners.

Our aim is to make England’s FE estate a world leader –so that learning is delivered in innovative, energy efficient and inspirational buildings.

Students will be more responsive, attentive and enthusiastic in bright, airy and stimulating ‘state of the art’ learning environments.

External research has shown that capital expenditure impacts positively on participation and attainment for both 16-19 year olds and adults. In 2003, the £300 million that we spent on capital investment was linked to a three per cent increase in participation and success rates.

The positive effects of rebuilding a college can be staggering, both on the individual learner, but also on the wider community.”

Bill Rammell said:

“Our aim is to make the Further Education estate world leading, delivering learning in buildings that are environmentally friendly and sustainable and which are designed to fully meet the needs of individuals, employers, and our communities, both for the challenges we face today, as well as for those we will face in the future.

This Government is fully committed to transforming the FE estate, and has repeatedly demonstrated this commitment through the unprecedented capital investment we have made in the past decade.”

Capital investment is a vital part of the Government’s efforts to implement the Leitch Review of Skills and the recommendations of the FE White Paper.

The capital investment programme supports increased choice, particularly in 16-19 provisions, increased specialisation and enables the most effective schools and colleges to expand.

In future, to qualify for LSC capital funds all proposals will need to address Sustainable Development by:

· meeting & preferably exceeding, the requirements of Part L of Building Regulations

· ensuring that the completed development meets the criteria to achieve excellent Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) ratings

· maximising the use of natural lighting and ventilation by, for example, using wind and solar power to generate light and heat and by collecting rainwater to reduce water usage

· embedding the principles of sustainability in the design of buildings and building systems

· the LSC will allow an additional 5% of building costs to be ring fenced and used for Sustainable Development

Further information:

Learning and Skills Council (LSC)

From here to Sustainability

‘Building for Skills: A prospectus for the Learning and Skills Council’s capital programme’

Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM)

IDea – Sustainable Procurement – Making it happen

Sustainable Building Sources

Related articles:

Forum for Future Sustainability

Towards a Zero Carbon Future