UNISON issues stark funding warning to education secretary

College leaders and staff have today (Friday) warned the government it will fail young people if it doesn’t provide urgent funding for further education.

A joint letter to education secretary Bridget Phillipson - signed by the leaders of UNISON, the University and College Union and the Association of Colleges - says plans for growth and efforts to tackle the crisis of young people not in education or training will fall short without a cash boost for colleges.

The letter comes as pay negotiations between union and college representatives begin and highlights the impact of the crisis of young people not earning and learning. It says it’s inexcusable that colleges are being forced to turn away students who want to learn due to a lack of funding.

The leaders highlight the disparity between government messages about the vital role of colleges and the reality for staff. They say demand for vocational and technical skills is surging and colleges will play a key role if ministers’ priorities on youth unemployment, house building, net-zero and economic growth are to be realised.

However, they say a substantial pay gap between colleges and schools, combined with more competitive salaries in industry and below inflation funding increases, are making it impossible to recruit and retain staff at the scale required to meet demand.

The letter says although the government has competing calls on public funds, it must act now if it’s serious in its commitment to further education and wants to meet its own targets.

UNISON general secretary Andrea Egan said: “Further education is crucial for delivering the skills needed to help meet ministers’ growth ambitions, yet colleges are hamstrung by a lack of funding.

“Pay has been held down for years, leaving too many staff struggling to simply cover the essentials. Colleges and their employees want to help the hundreds of thousands of young people not earning or learning, but to do that they must be given the necessary funding and resources.”

Notes to editors:
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

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