Portsmouth college secures £1.2m to expand heat pump and RAC training
UK – City of Portsmouth College has secured £1.2 million in Department for Education funding to expand specialist facilities supporting its refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump training at its North Harbour Campus.
The funding, alongside additional investment from the college, will increase training capacity through additional cool rooms and end-point assessment space for post-16 students, commercial learners and apprentices.
RACHP training capacity to increase
City of Portsmouth College says it is one of only a few colleges in the country offering specific refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump training.
Its provision includes the Level 3 Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heat Pump Engineering Technician apprenticeship and Level 2 training in refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump systems.
The investment in our RAC facilities and wider technical provision is particularly exciting because it gives us the opportunity to increase capacity
Katy Quinn, principal and CEO, City of Portsmouth College
Government funding supports expansion
The £1.2 million award forms part of the Department for Education’s post-16 and construction skills capacity funding programme, which is supporting additional technical and construction training capacity in non-devolved areas.
The expansion at North Harbour has also been enabled by the relocation of the college’s engineering workshop to its Highbury Campus. The move frees additional space at North Harbour while bringing engineering workshop and classroom provision together at Highbury.
The improved facilities will also support a new engineering T Level, which the college plans to launch in September 2027.
