AoC welcomes £160m investment for 16 to 19 study programmes in colleges

The Education Secretary today announced an investment of £160m for 16 to 19 study programmes in colleges for the next academic year. Responding, AoC chief executive David Hughes CBE said: “This extra funding aimed at supporting colleges to be able to match the pay increase recommended for school teachers is great news and very welcome.

 “As well as supporting a stronger pay offer, colleges will use this to address the particular challenges they face around recruitment and retention of staff in priority sectors like construction, engineering and digital. I am also pleased that there is a funding boost targeted at helping more disadvantaged students and those doing GCSE resits – this cohort faces a whole range of barriers in their learning. This should help colleges to recruit and retain the staff needed to deliver to the often thousands of young people taking resits in English and maths.

 “This is the first time that college pay has been considered by the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) and it is significant, on the back of that, that the Secretary of State has secured the investment needed to help colleges match the pay recommendation for school staff. It is a strong signal that the government recognises the vital role colleges play in helping to deliver its missions - on growth, opportunity, the NHS, clean energy and safer streets.”

Gerry McDonald CBE, Chair of the Association of Colleges Employment Policy Group and Group Principal and CEO of New City College said: “Colleges work hard to recruit and retain great staff and we want to pay our staff the wage they deserve. The funding announced today is a step towards being able to do just that: it means that the gap between school teachers' pay and pay for college staff will not continue to increase. While we are encouraged by this announcement, we await the detail and urge ministers to recognise the excellent work of the whole further education sector in their funding decisions.”