AoC responds to Queen's Speech

Responding to the Queen’s Speech, David Hughes, Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges, said: “I am pleased that the Queen's speech confirmed the Government's commitment to proper investment in technical and professional education. The extra £500 million we fought for and which the Chancellor announced in the spring Budget was the first new investment in post-16 further education for a decade. "As we said at the time, we will strenuously support the implementation of the Sainsbury Review report, but we also look forward to a proper review of post-16 funding in the round.The commitment to a fair funding formula for schools needs to be matched with a fair funding formula for 16-19 learning and for adult learning and skills. Young people and adults in this country are being short-changed compared with their international counterparts when it comes to investment and opportunities to train or re-train. The funding review promised in the Conservative manifesto is therefore a crucial piece of work which we will contribute to. "Brexit will clearly dominate this new Parliament and we will continue to highlight the contribution that colleges can and do make to a successful economy and society. Our message is that for the UK to succeed in a post-Brexit world, this country must be more self-sufficient in skills. Colleges can make this a reality. We need to develop a new culture of lifelong learning and make this the norm for all communities and for all people. To achieve this, we need to have the right investment.”