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Housing Seminar: Partnerships with the Public Sector – Avoiding the pitfalls
Thu 31 May 2012
Minerva House, 5 Montague Close, London, SE1 9BB
Government urged to protect adult education
Mon 22 Mar 2010
The Association of Colleges (AoC) has called on the government to avoid cutting funding for adult education.
According to the group, cutting courses that are vital to the UK's recovery would be a "false economy".
The sector is expected to see a £200 million reduction in funding, which would affect courses such as literacy, numeracy, adult A-levels and GCSEs and vocational subjects including bricklaying and joinery.
As a result, chancellor of the exchequer Alistair Darling has been urged to offer assurances that adult education funding will be protected.
Pat Bacon, president of the AoC, said the group understands that there are considerable pressures on the public purse.
However, he stated that cuts would negatively affect students, local communities and the government's targets for further and higher education.
Mr Bacon added that the notion colleges can maintain the existing number of adult students by creating more fee-paying places is flawed, as it ignores the current state of the economy and people's ability to pay.
The chancellor will deliver this year's Budget in parliament on Wednesday.
