City College Plymouth has been awarded more than £2 million in funding from the Office for Students (OfS) to expand higher-level engineering, computing and cyber security education that will support the UK’s future defence workforce.
The College has secured just over £1.6 million in programme funding and a further £410,358 in capital investment through the OfS Defence Related Skills Funding Competition. The funding will support the delivery of additional student places and specialist facilities across a range of engineering, marine and cyber security programmes between 2026 and 2031.
The successful bid will enable City College Plymouth to create capacity for over 200 additional higher education student places across a range of defence-related disciplines, including marine engineering, marine autonomous vehicles, cyber security, computer science and integrated technologies engineering.
The investment reinforces the College’s position as a national leader in defence and technical education and builds on its designation as one of only five Defence Technical Excellence Colleges in the UK.
The range of new higher education courses funded by this award will be delivered by City College Plymouth, supported and accredited by the University of Plymouth. The University has also received its own OfS funding award to expand opportunities for students in defence-related disciplines, and together the awards add up to over £9 million of combined OfS investment for skills in the city of Plymouth.
The OfS award comes at a critical time for the South West and the wider UK defence sector, as demand continues to increase for highly skilled engineers, cyber specialists and advanced technology professionals.
Jackie Grubb, CEO of City College Plymouth, said:
“This award recognises the essential role City College Plymouth plays in developing the skilled workforce needed to support both regional economic growth and national priorities. This significant investment will support vital growth across multiple marine engineering, autonomy and digital disciplines in our city and beyond, and will have a direct and positive impact on families and communities.”
“Plymouth is home to one of the UK’s most important defence, marine and advanced engineering clusters. This funding will allow us to expand opportunities for students, invest in specialist facilities and equipment, and strengthen our partnerships with employers to ensure learners develop the skills needed for highly rewarding careers in these strategically important sectors.”
The funding competition was launched by the Office for Students to support the ambitions of the UK’s Strategic Defence Review and Defence Industrial Strategy by increasing the supply of graduates with the technical skills required by defence-related industries.
City College Plymouth’s project will focus on expanding higher-level provision in engineering, marine technologies and cyber security while working closely with employers and industry partners to ensure students gain the knowledge, practical experience and professional skills needed to progress into high-value careers.
The capital funding element of the award will support investment in specialist facilities and equipment, helping to create enhanced learning environments that reflect the technologies and working practices used across modern defence and advanced manufacturing sectors.
The programme is expected to support local employers by strengthening the talent pipeline into key sectors while providing students with access to industry-relevant qualifications and career opportunities.
