College cuts will mean 7,000 job losses and 130,000 students missing out

The union called on the Tories to make clear their plans for colleges and said their continued silence on the issue was unacceptable.
 
Ahead of Wednesday's budget, it has been revealed that 43 colleges face adult learning budget cuts of 25% in the next academic year. Around 7,000 jobs are at risk in the further education sector and the government's own figures show that 130,000 people will miss out on a college place.
 
A report from the Association of Colleges (AoC) says that England's colleges face a £200m cut in funding for adults and that courses could close as a result. On average, colleges face a budget cut of 16% for adult learning.
 
UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'Further education has a crucial role to play in helping to retrain people during the recession. However, this cannot be achieved on the back of swingeing cuts to adult learning. Colleges don't operate in separate silos; teachers teach both young people and adults.
 
'Many of the courses likely to be affected are in key skill areas that are vital to our communities. The prime minister says he wants colleges to be at the heart of our communities and that education will not be a victim of the recession. However, these cuts tell a very different story and it will be the people most in need of training that will miss out.
 
'As we approach the general election voters need to know what all the main parties will do to further education. The Tories' silence on the issue so far is just not acceptable.'
 
Last week the prime minister told a reception for colleges that: 'Colleges are at the heart of their communities, helping people through the recession and key to the UK's economic recovery. Training the next generation of engineers, scientists, teachers and designers, they are developing the skills we need to prosper in the decades ahead.'