West Midlands Colleges Fear Cuts

Tue, 23 Mar 2010

There are fears for standards of education in the West Midlands after a number of colleges warned that they may have to cull courses due to funding cuts. Walsall College is set to have its budget cut by £1.5 million, while City College Coventry expects to lose £1 million. The cuts will have to be passed on, meaning fewer courses and fewer places for pupils. North East Worcestershire College has said it expects to cut around 100 courses due to funding cuts, leading to cuts in capacity by around 2,000 students .

The Association of Colleges (AoC) says there has been a 16 per cent cut in adult learning as well, while the government has admitted there had been a ‘change in priorities’. Further Education Minister Kevin Brennan said colleges needed to change to meet the needs of employers – a change that has grave implications for mature students.

Practical courses are expected to be the worst affected, with catering, hairdressing and brick-laying among the likely casualties. Education funding has become something of a farce in recent years, with the Learning and Skills Council promising funds to schools and colleges across the country, only to quickly use up its budget for the year.
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