Apply to become a Technical Excellence College
Apply to become a Wave 2 Technical Excellence College in Defence, Clean Energy, Digital and Technologies or Advanced Manufacturing.
Applies to England
Applications for Wave 2 of the Technical Excellence Colleges programme are now open. Government will establish 19 TECs from April 2026, in the following Industrial Strategy priority sectors:
- Clean Energy (5 TECs)
- Advanced Manufacturing (4 TECs)
- Digital and Technologies (5 TECs)
- Defence (5 TECs)
Deadline for applications: 23:59 on Monday 16 February 2026. Late submissions will not be accepted.
Essential eligibility criteria
You will be required to self-certify that the college meets all essential criteria for your chosen TEC sector before proceeding to the main application questions. Meeting the essential criteria is a mandatory requirement to be eligible to apply. The Department for Education (DfE) will conduct eligibility checks for all applications prior to assessment. If an application is found to be ineligible, DfE will notify the provider and offer an opportunity to supply evidence demonstrating eligibility.
To be eligible to apply for TEC status, applicants must meet the following essential criteria:
- be a further education (FE) college (including Sixth Form Colleges and designated institutions) that is part of the statutory FE sector in England
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based on the finance record, have a finalised financial health grade of ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ for the year 2023 to 2024 as assessed by DfE or expect to be graded as such for the year 2024 to 2025
- once new grades are finalised in April 2026, we will need to confirm that your grade has remained ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’. Any college who receives a ‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate’ financial health grade for the year 2024 to 2025 will subsequently be deemed ineligible to become a TEC prior to appointment. You must not be in formal intervention and must have no significant concerns raised in any recent DfE audits
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be Ofsted rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ in overall effectiveness
- colleges who have an Ofsted rating of ‘requires improvement’ may apply if they can demonstrate through a recent monitoring visit report that they have made significant progress against all areas requiring improvement. We expect that only a small number of colleges will be inspected under the new framework. For these colleges a single word judgment will not be applied. Instead, Ofsted report cards will be considered on a case-by-case basis as part of the assessment process
- at a college level have an achievement rate above 84% based on published FE and Skills data for academic year 2023 to 2024 or an apprenticeships achievement rate above 61% in the latest published apprenticeships data
There are further essential eligibility criteria specific to each of the 4 Wave 2 sectors, which are set out on the sector-specific application forms. This includes criteria on:
- alignment with sector priority occupations
- Level 4 + plus provision and Office for Students registration
- employer partnerships
- alignment with one or more of the Industrial Strategy priority city regions and clusters and associated subsectors
Desirable criteria
The desirable criteria include:
- prior experience in, or a commitment to the delivery of T Levels
- experience of one or more of the following:
- delivering as a partner of a local Institute of Technology
- having previously been the project lead provider of a Local Skills Improvement Fund project
- being a member of the WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence
Main application questions
Once you have self-certified that the college meets the essential eligibility criteria, you will then need to complete 4 substantive application questions.
Two questions assess your college’s delivery against the TEC programme’s 5 objectives and the outcomes you expect to deliver. 2 further questions relate to existing partnerships with industry employers and how you will work with other providers locally and nationally (mobilising a hub and spoke model).
For more details about the 5 TEC objectives, the hub and spoke delivery model and information about how applications will be assessed, see Technical Excellence Colleges. This document also sets out how DfE expects to work with TECs.
Written endorsements
You will also be asked to provide up to 6 written endorsements from regional or national skills partners who support your college’s application to become a TEC, stipulating how they will work with your college if appointed to support your role as a TEC. Endorsers may include: - further and higher education institutions delivering sector-related courses - industry employers and Local Skills Improvement Plan - designated Employer Representative Bodies
How to apply
Complete the relevant application form for the sector you wish to apply to.
Apply to become a Digital and Technologies TEC
Apply to become a Clean Energy industries TEC
Apply to become an Advanced Manufacturing TEC
Deadline for applications: 23:59 on Monday 16 February 2026. Late submissions will not be accepted.
Making multiple applications
You may apply to more than one TEC sector. However, our expectation is that colleges will be awarded TEC status in a single sector. Each application will be scored individually, and a selection panel will determine the sector in which your college is best positioned to deliver impact, based on the strength and relevance of each application.
If your intention is to have a dual designation, you need to state this on your application – see dual designation. This will only be considered in exceptional circumstances.
Contact DfE at tec.enquiries@education.gov.uk if you have any questions about the application process.
For DfE Sign-in queries, use the virtual assistant for education providers and learners.
Further notes on applications
Applications from college groups or groups of merged colleges
Only individual FE colleges which meet the eligibility requirements included on the relevant sector application form can apply to achieve TEC status. We will not accept applications from a consortium of providers.
If an organisation is a college group or a group of merged colleges, one college must lead the delivery and be the public-facing recipient of TEC status.
Dual designation
In exceptional circumstances, we may consider dual designation – for a college to be awarded TEC status for more than one sector. Such instances will be rare, and this will not be standard practice. The TEC role demands deep specialism, extensive system leadership, and significant resource commitments to deliver high-quality outcomes and to support a robust hub and spoke model.
To be considered for dual designation you must complete 2 separate application forms, one for each relevant sector, and you must indicate in both applications that you want your college to be considered for dual designation. Colleges seeking to be considered for more than one sector must provide compelling evidence of their capacity, infrastructure, and expertise to deliver at scale across each area, without compromising quality or impact.
Exemption process
Exemptions from the published eligibility criteria will be rare and considered only in exceptional circumstances. These will typically apply where a single criterion cannot be met due to a known issue outside the applicant’s control.
Any request for exemption must:
- clearly identify the criterion in question
- provide a detailed explanation of the circumstances
- include supporting evidence demonstrating why the application should still be considered
Please submit this request to tec.enquiries@education.gov.uk
DfE reserves the right to exercise discretion and will only approve exemptions where there is a compelling case and no material risk to the integrity of the process.
Launch date and plans post-selection
Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application in spring 2026. Wave 2 TECs will launch from April 2026. Once appointed, the TECs will need to provide detailed costed delivery plans over Summer 2026 which will be linked to funding. We will provide further guidance on how to complete these delivery plans, and our expectations, following confirmation of TEC status.