About SWCTEC
Technical Excellence College (TEC)
The UK Government’s Technical Excellence College (TEC) programme is designed to strengthen high‑quality technical education in sectors critical to national productivity. TECs aim to improve teaching quality, enhance employer partnerships, and ensure provision aligns with local and national skills needs. They also emphasise improved learner progression into work or higher‑level programmes, with delivery plans, specialist equipment investment, and continuous professional development forming key components of the model.
Construction TECs (CTECs)
Construction TECs (CTECs) apply these principles specifically to the construction sector, addressing employer‑identified shortages and supporting workforce development. Core objectives include boosting construction skills provision, raising teaching quality, strengthening employer collaboration, and embedding clear progression pathways into construction employment or higher study. CTECs also respond directly to issues such as low apprenticeship achievement rates and sector‑specific teacher recruitment challenges, helping improve retention, quality, and industry relevance in construction education.
CTECs operate as regional hubs, working with further and higher education institutions and private training providers to share best practice, specialist resources, and innovation in teaching, curriculum, and employer engagement. Activities include knowledge‑exchange events, CPD programmes, industry‑informed curriculum design, and regional construction skills planning aligned with Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs). This collaborative structure ensures that construction skills provision is coherent, industry‑aligned, and capable of meeting both local and national demand.
South West CTEC
The South West CTEC delivers its mission through a structured, collaborative, and region‑wide approach designed to strengthen construction skills provision. Its work is anchored in the five national CTEC objectives …
Responding to Employer Demand
To boost construction skills provision in direct response to local and national employer needs.
Excellence in Teaching & Curriculum
To deliver high-quality teaching practice and curricula in construction, including continuous professional development for staff with an emphasis on site integration and employer input.
Strengthening Employer Engagement
To leverage employer engagement and investment in construction skills provision.
Collaborative Network Growth
To collaborate with providers (‘spokes’) to boost construction provision and quality both locally and nationally."
Supporting Learner Progression
To promote clear pathways for learners to progress into work in the construction industry or into higher level construction courses."
This is operationalised through strategic engagement with providers across the region to understand local strengths, challenges, and opportunities, ensuring the programme adapts responsively as it evolves.
Delivering Impact Through Regional Partnership & Engagement
A core element of the South West CTEC’s approach is its emphasis on regional collaboration. Through round‑table discussions, roadshows, and consultation events, it brings together employers, FE colleges, HE institutions and private training providers to shape priorities and share best practice while addressing systemic challenges such as staff recruitment and curriculum reform. These engagement activities provide insight into key factors such as strong provider-employer links, consistent quality, and effective curriculum design. They inform targeted support across the SW CTEC workstreams, including teaching and learning, development track, apprenticeships, curriculum design, and employer engagement.
The impact of the South West CTEC is already visible in strengthened partnerships, improved regional intelligence, and closer alignment between training provision and industry needs. Its launch and subsequent activities have focused on increasing training numbers, raising quality, improving employer collaboration, and ensuring a stable, capable teaching workforce. The programme’s outward‑facing approach, through construction skills roadshows, stakeholder events, and coordinated regional planning, helps shape a coherent, future‑focused construction skills ecosystem for the South West, positioning the region to address skills shortages and support economic growth.