Government’s skills proposals criticised by education leaders

19 Nov 09
College leaders have warned that ministers’ investment plans for training and skills programmes next year amount to spending cuts
By Vivienne Russell

19 November 2009

College leaders have warned that ministers’ investment plans for training and skills programmes next year amount to spending cuts.

Funding for skills programmes will total £4.4bn under the government’s Skills Investment Strategy 2010/11. It would usher in a significant rebalancing of priorities towards programmes that offer training to long-term unemployed people, particularly those aged between 18-24.

But the Association of Colleges highlighted cuts totalling £129m (7.5%) to other adult learning budgets. This included the Skills for Life budget, which equips adults with literacy, numeracy and IT skills. Funding has been reassigned to support a growth in apprenticeships and the Train to Gain programme.

AoC chief executive Martin Doel said: ‘To call this an “investment strategy” is somewhat misleading since it embodies significant savings.

‘These savings do represent cuts – particularly to the rates of funding for certain courses – at a time when the services of colleges have never been more in demand.’

He added that it would take time for the further education sector to adapt to the government’s shift in priorities. ‘You can’t make these kind of changes overnight.’

Announcing the strategy on November 16, skills minister Kevin Brennan said: ‘Skills training is an investment in an individual and their ability to get on in life, an investment in the productivity of our companies and in our future economic growth.

‘We need to invest in the right training, to encourage more employers and individuals to buy into skills and to ensure a more productive use of skills across the UK economy.’

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