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Committee report highlights huge funding gap between further and higher education

8 April 2016

UCU has today welcomed a report from the House of Lords Social Mobility Committee which highlights the huge funding gap between further and higher education, as well as the need for better careers advice for young people.

Responding to the committee's report, the union said that the government's attempt to promote vocational and academic routes as equally valuable was seriously undermined by the funding shortfall for students in further education.

The committee's findings reinforce a recent analysis by London Economics for UCU, which showed that each full time undergraduate in England attracted £8,870 of public funding per year in 2013/14, more than double the amount for a 16-19 apprentice (£3,759) and almost seven times the funding rate for a non-apprenticeship learner aged 19 or over (£1,323).

The committee paper also highlighted the need for better independent careers advice, particularly for those who do not wish to go on to university. A ComRes survey for UCU in 2015 found that 16% of respondents at state schools said they had received no careers advice at all, and the union warned that urgent action was needed to help students make well-informed choices and achieve their aspirations.

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'It's time the government put its money where its mouth is on vocational education - while apprenticeships continue to attract less than half the funding of university degrees, they will never be valued equally by students, parents or employers.

'The committee rightly recognises that young people need a range of high-quality, well-resourced education options and the government should reconsider funding cuts which have jeopardised colleges' ability to cater for different needs.

'The committee is also right to highlight the urgent need for better careers advice, which is dangerously lacking in too many areas. Young people need clear, independent advice to ensure that they can make well-informed choices about their future learning and employment to achieve their aspirations.'

Last updated: 8 April 2016

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