P-04-644 The Future of Further Education
P-04-644 The Future of Further Education
We
note the decision of the Welsh government to cut Further Education funding by
£26m for the year 2015/16 and recognise that the 8% cut in the Welsh budget
imposed by Westminster, has created financial challenges for Wales. However we fail
to understand the decisions of Welsh Government to then allocate money from
Westminster in a way that will cause great hardship to a key member of the
‘Education Family’ in Wales. Colleges have dealt admirably with several years
of successive funding cuts and we do not see how they can continue to deliver
the remit expected of them by Welsh government. We also note the policy of the
Welsh Government to increase reliance on employer contributions to fund
employee training, but are not convinced that this will be sufficient to plug
the level of Government underfunding. In addition the 50% slash in funding to
part time courses will decimate further education provision leaving thousands
of adults without access to opportunities to improve their education or to
retrain. It will also put hundreds of FE jobs at risk. Further education
colleges in Wales have co-operated with Welsh Government over previous funding
cuts and a series of mergers, but are now at breaking point. We call upon the
Welsh Government not to implement these cuts and to invest properly in lifelong
learning opportunities for all.
Additional information
UCU
Wales are concerned that:
*
Employers will be unwilling or unable to plug the gap left by the withdrawal of
Welsh Government funding.
*
Adults will be restricted to training that is deemed suitable by employers.
*
Adults in low paid, unsatisfactory jobs will be unable to access the education
they need to improve their employment opportunities elsewhere.
* Cuts in funding will severely limit choices
available to adults. * Opportunities to improve the life chances of many adults
and their families will be removed, which in terms of tackling poverty and
improving the economy of Wales, is counterproductive.
*
The quality of remaining provision will be reduced as there will be fewer
staff, bigger class sizes and less time to teach the courses.
Petition raised by: UCU Wales
Date petition first
considered by Committee:
14 July 2015
Number of signatures: 2,047
Business type: Petition
Reason considered: Senedd Business;
Status: For consideration
First published: 25/06/2015