Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with relevant stakeholders on opening Technical Excellence Colleges in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East and (e) England.

The department is introducing technical excellence colleges (TECs) to specialise in training skilled workforces which industry needs in growth-driving priority sectors. Ten construction TECs were appointed in August 2025, with one in each of the nine English regions and the tenth with a cross-regional remit. The department has engaged with North East Mayoral Combined Authority and Tees Valley Combined Authority throughout the process of appointing Sunderland College as the CTEC for the North East. Additionally, officials have engaged more widely with strategic authorities, trade bodies such as the Construction Industry Training Board, and membership organisations such as the Association of Colleges. The department will take a similar approach with the selection of the next wave of TECs in defence, clean energy, advanced manufacturing and digital and technologies.

The selection process for these TECs will start by the end of 2025, with delivery planned to begin from April 2026. Further details will be published in due course.