Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what locations have been selected for the Defence Technical Excellence Colleges; and how will the £182 million investment in defence skills be distributed.

No locations for Defence Technical Excellence Colleges have yet been chosen. They will be selected through a fair and transparent competition process, run by the Department for Education working with the Ministry of Defence. We expect the competition to be launched later this year. All general further education colleges in England will be able to apply, subject to meeting specific eligibility criteria. Further details on the process and criteria will be published in due course.

The Ministry of Defence, working with partners across Government, industry and the skills community, will oversee the £182 million investment to ensure the skills package is delivered effectively to boost skills in the sector.