Further education colleges are an essential part of England’s education system. For too long the vital work they do has been overlooked and underfunded.
From 2009 to 2019, college funding has been cut by around 30%.
That is why trade unions, students and colleges are coming together to call for better funding and fair pay for further education colleges.
UNISON is calling on the government to increase college funding to sustainable levels by:
- increasing the 16-19 funding rate by 5% a year for the next 5 years;
- extending the pupil premium to cover post-16 students;
- fully funding a National Retraining Scheme to support level 3 to 5 skills;
- introducing a lifetime learning entitlement to fund skills training for all adults who have not previously achieved a level 3 qualification;
- providing immediate funding to cover the costs of a fair pay deal for college staff for 2018/19 onwards.
National march, rally and lobby for FE funding: Wednesday 17 October
- March will depart 12:30pm from Waterloo Place, finishing at Parliament Square (London).
- Rally from 1.30-2.30pm in Parliament Square to hear from a range of speakers about why we #loveourcolleges and want the government to invest more in further education.
Find out more at www.collegesweek.co.uk