UCU warns Skills Strategy's positive messages will be lost in secret government job cut plans

The union said that while it welcomed a commitment for more apprenticeships and extra support for people under 25, it remained concerned at leaked proposals for mass job cuts in the sector.
 
The union added that as new figures released today showed that unemployment had risen by 30,000, the government needed to make clear unambiguous commitments to the further education sector and the people who most need its help.
 
Documents seen by UCU this week warn that the government plans to axe staff in further education colleges to meet huge budget cuts. UCU today warned that wholesale redundancies would make a mockery of any of the Skills Strategy's proud boasts to boost further education or improve opportunities for the people who most need help.
 
UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'The government needs to urgently clarify its plans for further education. While there are some positive aspects in the Skills Strategy, those initiatives will be doomed to failure if the plans to axe staff go ahead.
 
'The government has rightly identified education as a key driver of social mobility and the Skills Strategy is a welcome addition to its efforts to improve social mobility. However, making swingeing cuts to the further education sector now would be an outrageous affront to the millions of people it has promised it would not let down and hit the most vulnerable members of society.'