Association of Colleges
Colleges respond to today's Treasury announcement
24 May 2010
Martin Doel, Association of Colleges Chief Executive, commented on the major announcements on savings made today (24 May) by the Treasury.
Investment
“We are very pleased that today’s Treasury announcement identifies College provision as one of the few areas where savings are being re-invested. This no doubt reflects the importance of the provision, as do the various references to Colleges and further education made by George Osborne and David Laws today. New funding for College capital projects and for adult apprenticeships is very welcome, as is the protection afforded to education for 16- to 19-year-olds. Two thirds of students of this age choose a College education.”
Quangos
“We are pleased that savings in relation to education quangos are being identified which won’t immediately impact frontline delivery and the high quality, socially and economically vital courses that Colleges deliver. However, all Government agencies have some functions that are essential, as well as some that duplicate other work. In the case of essential functions, we will be interested to see how these will continue to be discharged and how the funding to keep these going is preserved.
“In the case of Becta, whose function is to promote and facilitate the use of technology, the question remains as to whom that responsibility will devolve. Issues with integration and interoperability of systems mean that the use of technology within Colleges is sometimes diffuse and fragmented and some form of oversight is needed. If the intention is to channel Becta’s functions to providers it will need to be made very clear how this would be done, with what budget and under what conditions.”
Train to Gain
“Many Colleges have pointed to weaknesses within the Train to Gain scheme. However, there are some elements worth preserving – in particular the very positive contribution to basic skills education that Train to Gain courses have made – that haven’t been addressed in today’s announcement. We hope to see that contribution preserved.”
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