Further Education united in imploring government to implement adult review findings
26 June 2019
Burton and South Derbyshire College (BSDC) has joined the vast majority of English colleges today to champion the main findings of the recently published Augar review of post 18 education funding.
The college, which serves the communities of East Staffordshire and South Derbyshire and who works with over 1,000 employers annually, has welcomed the key findings of the report and its acknowledgment of the pivotal role colleges play within their local communities.
The commission, set up by the Prime Minister to look at tuition fees, found there was a ‘powerful’ case for change in the FE sector, which had been ignored by successive governments in favour of higher education. It said £3billion in additional funding should flow to colleges and training providers each year and concluded that colleges, rather than universities, needed the most urgent attention.
Dawn Ward CBE, Chief Executive and Principal of the College said the report concluded what sector leaders had known for a long time - that colleges and the Further Education sector more generally were pivotal in ensuring UK Plc has the skills it needs both now and in the future, whilst also improving social mobility within local communities and the future life chances of our future workforce.
She said: “For many years now colleges have been overlooked by our political leaders. This report lays bare that the key to an improved economy and increased workforce productivity is through better investment in our colleges so that we can invest in our infrastructure and people ensuring that we continue to deliver the skills our nation needs both now and in the future”.
“Through this open letter, our sector is united in one voice urging the Chancellor and the Secretary of State to implement the findings of this review so that our local, regional and national communities can prosper and access the future opportunities that a digitised economy based on emerging technologies will bring”.
Commissioned by Theresa May, the Augar review is the first of its kind since the 1960s and recommends a transformation of the post 18 education sector that rebalances funding away from universities and refocuses it on skills.
BSDC delivers technical education to nearly 4,000 learners annually across a range of sectors, boasts strategic partnerships with the likes of Toyota Manufacturing UK and St. George’s Park and attracts over 500 learners every year from countries such as South Korea, Japan and Thailand. It also operates a highly successful College in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. BSDC is one of 197 Colleges that have signed the open letter to the Chancellor.
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