Overview

• Ministers say training will shift to a “wartime pace,” with a coordinated push across schools, colleges and industry.
• Five defence technical excellence colleges will take applications by year‑end, with successful sites opening in 2026.
• Regional STEM programmes will reach thousands of pupils over four years, alongside targeted short courses to upskill current defence workers.
• Higher‑education places will expand, with a new apprenticeship and graduate clearing system, and support to help veterans into skilled roles such as submarine engineering and cyber operations.
• Defence Secretary John Healey called it the biggest defence skills plan in decades, while CityAM reports spending is projected to top £70bn by 2027.