Coleg Gwent is facing cuts of £5.7 million with around 122 jobs to go
The college, which has a campus in Crosskeys, as well as Ebbw Vale, Newport, Crosskeys, Pontypool and Usk, said most part-time courses and community courses will go from September, although full-time courses are unaffected.
Education bosses said the cuts were a direct result of a reduction of £29.9m of further education funding by the Welsh Government.
Staff and trade unions are now in a 45-day consultation period with the college asking for voluntary redundancies.
Principal Jim Bennett said: “I appreciate the pressures that the Welsh Government is facing with their own funding being reduced from Westminster, but the real impact of these cuts on learners, jobs, communities and the people of Wales will be very serious.”
“These are very large cuts in our funding, and if they continue in the future, even though we are a strong college, the result will be the loss of all part time and adult learning with the exception of a small amount in priority areas such as literacy and numeracy.
“This is devastating for all those adults wanting to re-skill, up-skill or enhance their career prospects, and to those who need a second chance of a good education. The effects on our communities, especially the more vulnerable ones, will be felt for a long time.
“This is also upsetting and demoralising for our staff who provide great teaching and high levels of support to our learners. Staff are clearly shocked and upset by these cuts and we are doing our best to ensure effective communication and consultation with them and the Trade Unions to avoid compulsory redundancies wherever possible.”
UCU Coleg Gwent branch chairman Ian Whitehead-Ross said the cuts would see 6,000 fewer part-time and adult learners at the college from September and said the cuts go against the Welsh Government’s stated aim of raising the economic profile of the South Wales Valleys.
He said: “These cuts are going to have a severe impact, predominantly on adult education, across the Gwent area. There will be 50,000 fewer teaching hours with 122 jobs being cut – 61 of those are frontline teaching and lecturing jobs.
“This will result in 6,000 fewer adult and part-time students.”
Mr Whitehead-Ross added that education provision for 16 to 19-year-olds would also be affected by the cuts with larger classes and fewer hours for AS Level classes.
A Welsh government spokesman said: “The UK Government has cut the Welsh government’s budget by £1.4bn in real terms since 2010. We have been clear about the financial challenges this has presented and the difficult decisions we’ve had to make.
“It is now more important than ever that we focus not just on the resources that are available but how we use them and what we achieve.”
All tertiary colleges are under pressure because of reduced funding. It’s a shame to see community and part-time provision going because of Assembly pressure to focus purely on provision for school leavers. Many people who were failed by the education system in their teens have used part-time tertiary as their first step to realising their potential later in life – myself included. If this route is now to be denied them, we will be tearing up the chances of many people to improve their lives and increase their contribution to society.
All tertiary colleges are under pressure because of reduced funding. It’s a shame to see community and part-time provision going because of Assembly pressure to focus purely on provision for school leavers. Many people who were failed by the education system in their teens have used part-time tertiary as their first step to realising their potential later in life – myself included. If this route is now to be denied them, we will be tearing up the chances of many people to improve their lives and increase their contribution to society.
Yet again a Welsh government spokesman delivers the usual stock answer – don’t blame us it’s the evil U.K Government that has cut our funding, strange how they managed to find funding to buy and subsidise an airport but it can’t find a few quid to invest in education.
Yet again a Welsh government spokesman delivers the usual stock answer – don’t blame us it’s the evil U.K Government that has cut our funding, strange how they managed to find funding to buy and subsidise an airport but it can’t find a few quid to invest in education, the Welsh Assembly are failing the people of Wales.
I am not competent to comment on the issues in this article, but, I do hold a view in respect to the following statementcontained the article:
“A Welsh government spokesman said: “The UK Government has cut the
Welsh government’s budget by £1.4bn in real terms since 2010. We have
been clear about the financial challenges this has presented and the
difficult decisions we’ve had to make”, .
This should read ” The Minister for Education in Wales Said”. and Not some faceless official who cannot be held to account for absolutely anything,
Why dont these high paid policy makers engage with the public when crisis happens? they never do, I wonder how many people may have noticed the total lack of any respect for the Welsh Taxpayer by The Welsh Minister of Health, month on month when Ambulance response times are missed? what he does is roll out a civil servant to take the flack. Gutless? or incompetent?
Perhaps both…
I am not competent to comment on the issues in this article, but, I do hold a view in respect to the following statementcontained the article:
“A Welsh government spokesman said: “The UK Government has cut the
Welsh government’s budget by £1.4bn in real terms since 2010. We have
been clear about the financial challenges this has presented and the
difficult decisions we’ve had to make”, .
This should read ” The Minister for Education in Wales Said”. and Not some faceless official who cannot be held to account for absolutely anything,
Why dont these high paid policy makers engage with the public when crisis happens? they never do, I wonder how many people may have noticed the total lack of any respect for the Welsh Taxpayer by The Welsh Minister of Health, month on month when Ambulance response times are missed? what he does is roll out a civil servant to take the flack. Gutless? or incompetent?
Perhaps both…
Being a member of the European
Union has been a one-way street
for Britain. Contributions from Britain to the EU budget have outstripped the benefits received in every single
year of membership.
In total
since 1979, Britain has paid in about €260?billion £228?billion). It has received back in benefits
just €163?billion (£143?billion).
The difference of €97?billion (£85?billion at today’s exchange rate) has been Britain’s subsidy to the European
project.
Therefore
does it not stand to reason; if we pulled out of Europe (without compromising the common market agenda)
that money could be directly reinvested back into Britain, hence maintaining the level of investment required in our educational
establishments for example.
Being a member of the European Union has been a one-way street for Britain. Contributions from Britain to the EU budget have outstripped the benefits received in every single year of membership.
In total since 1979, Britain has paid in about €260?billion £228?billion). It has received back in benefits just €163?billion (£143?billion).
The difference of €97?billion (£85?billion at today’s exchange rate) has been Britain’s subsidy to the European project.
Therefore does it not stand to reason; if we pulled out of Europe (without compromising the common market agenda) that money could be directly reinvested back into Britain, hence maintaining the level of investment required in our educational establishments for example.
Apologies for the poor formatting.
Apologies for the poor formatting.
It’s the end of FE as we know it in 5 years