UCU statement on National Audit Office report

In response to the National Audit Office (NOA) report, UCU says:

'The latest report from the National Audit Office lays bare the crisis gripping further education (FE) in England. UCU's New Deal for FE campaign has demonstrated the reasons why the sector is on a cliff edge, and today's findings are yet another wake-up call. Without urgent and sustained investment and a proper workforce strategy, the government risks failing thousands of students and burning out the educators who support them.

'With rising student numbers, reactive piecemeal funding, and chronic recruitment and retention problems, the report makes clear that doing nothing is not an option. The government must act now to address the structural challenges in FE. That starts with investing in the people who make further education work.

'UCU is calling for a clear and funded roadmap to achieve pay parity with school teachers, a national agreement to tackle excessive workloads, and fully funded, sector-wide collective bargaining. These are the foundations of a stable and sustainable FE sector and its time government delivered on them'.