TWO colleges in Weymouth and Dorchester will receive a slice of £200m government funding to upgrade campuses.

Weymouth College and Kingston Maurward College, in Dorchester, have each been allocated a share of the government investment.

The funds are being issued to upgrade and maintain further education facilities throughout the country to ensure colleges provide the best learning environments for students.

It was announced in June that an initial £200m of the £1.5bn allocated to upgrade further education colleges would be brought forward to 2020.

Weymouth College will receive £421,084, whilst Kingston Maurwood College will be granted £270,084.

The Bournemouth and Poole College will also benefit to the tune of £1.1m.

Education secretary Gavin Williamson announced that this initial investment is being fast-tracked to September so college students and staff will benefit a year earlier than originally planned.

More than 180 colleges throughout the UK will be given a share of the £200 million cash boost.

Nigel Evans, principal of Weymouth College, said: “We’re obviously very pleased with the amount we were given, it’s absolutely brilliant for us.

“We haven’t had any additional funding in about 10 years so we just haven’t had the money to do things like this.”

Weymouth College will be using the funding to make general repairs across the site, along with the further development of a number of projects, including their construction area, the university centre and the ‘centre of excellence’.

Mr Evans added: “The priority for us is to make sure that our infrastructure is very strong and that’s what we’ll be looking at first.

“It’s great news for the college and great for Weymouth.”

The funding marks the latest step in the government’s drive to overhaul further education and deliver the skilled workforce employers and the economy need, and that will help level up skills and opportunities for more people across the country.

The cash boost comes just days after five Dorset schools - The Thomas Hardye School in Dorchester, Dorchester Middle School, St Mary's Church of England Middle School in Puddletown, Bridport Primary School and Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School are among those to benefit from the funding - received a share of £1.35 million government funding to expand and improve their facilities.