College's £500,000 bonus

The money is part of an £11m package across the county to expand skills and training in nine projects by the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

Blackpool and The Fylde College is to get £524,000 towards its £1.5m project which aims to provide high quality and flexible learning spaces for business-led provision.

It will be used to upgrade old teaching buildings to the latest standards.

The college is to also get and extra £166,000 towards energy simulation equipment for the Lancashire Energy HQ currently being built at the Blackpool Airport enterprise zone.

This is in addition to the investment towards to the Lancashire Energy HQ which was confirmed in round one.

This is the second round of the £30m investment of Growth Deal Skills funding by the LEP for training facilities across Lancashire.

The LEP said one of the most important areas for Lancashire’s economy was aerospace and advanced manufacturing, where it estimates that as many as 21,800 extra skilled trades people and qualified professionals and managers would be needed by 2022 due to an ageing workforce.

Dr Michele Lawty-Jones said. “Employers have told us that they will need more skilled employees in a number of key areas over the coming years if their businesses are to grow to their full potential.

“That’s why the LEP is investing £30m in transforming our post-16 educational facilities. Over the next few years, thousands of local people will be able to learn new skills, progress in work, and achieve economic well-being.

“A skilled workforce is a crucial part of our ambitious strategic growth programme to transform the county’s economy over the next decade, creating tens of thousands of new jobs and driving economic growth.”

A spokesman for Blackpool and The Fylde College confirmed the grant award.

She said: “Blackpool and The Fylde College has been given £524,000 towards a £1.5m mechanical and electrical upgrade of the older buildings at the University Centre, specifically South and Montreal Buildings.

“The work will include the replacement of electrical sockets, pipes and radiators and work is being carried out over the summer.”

Among the other awards the LEP has given £670,000 towards a £1.3m partnership between Lancaster University and BAE Systems to set up an Advanced Manufacturing Centre for Skills Development and Employer Engagement featuring state of the art equipment at the University Lancaster Campus and the BAE Systems Training Centre at Samlesbury.