Learning Works www.unionlearn.org.uk/southwest
» News from unionlearn with South West TUC Summer 2010
Where now for learning? The coalition government has announced cuts running into million of pounds in education and skills. TUC Senior Policy Officer Iain Murray examines where the axe falls and finds adult employees in the firing line No matter what the government says about ‘refocusing its expenditure’, the £200m cut to Train to Gain is bad news for trade unions. For although there are plans to provide an additional 50,000 apprentices in small and medium-sized enterprises and improve college buildings, there will be a cut in overall training places for adult employees with few or no qualifications who are not ready for apprenticeship training.
G N I N WAR
Many of these employees are our members who study hard in workplace learning centres throughout the South West to brush up their basic skills. It is difficult to tell what the overall reduction in training places will be as a result, but it is bound to be significant and bound to hit our members hardest. A related commitment by the Department for Education promising to safeguard education and skills provision for 16-19 year-olds means the number of young apprenticeships should remain as previously planned. As widely anticipated, ‘efficiency savings’ of around 10% will be applied to all education and skills quangos and two education bodies are to be abolished.
“The cut to the HE budget means the 20,000 student places in the next year committed by the previous government will be reduced to 10,000 places” The cut to the Higher Education budget of £200m means the 20,000 additional student places in the forthcoming academic year committed by the previous government will be reduced to 10,000 additional places. There is also an additional £82m of efficiency savings imposed on the HE sector. It’s better news for the schools budget, the budget for education and skills provision for 16-19 year-olds, and the Sure Start budget, with the government committing to protect these areas from ‘any in-year spending cuts.’
However, these commitments conceal the fact there will be reductions to education funding by other means. In total the Department for Education budget is to be reduced by £670m with a cut of £311m to the grant it gives to local authorities and a £359m cut comprising efficiency savings and specific cuts to programmes including a reduction of £60m for 14-19 vocational provision.
• The TUC is tracking cuts in public spending and public services. For more information go to: http://www.touchstoneblog.org.uk/ category/cuts-watch/
Good L@WD The South West TUC has published a booklet celebrating the exciting and innovative events organised by ULRs across the region for Learning At Work Day. Featuring reports and photos from 11 events, the publication will give reps ideas for organising future sessions. For your free copy, email: unionlearnsouthwest@tuc.org.uk
In this issue » Out with the old tutor, in with the new » Learning centres launch » Save public services