Jim Clifford, Head of Third Sector Advisory and Chair of Public Sector Group at Baker Tilly, outlines his fears for the Further Education sector after the CSR:
“While the government has announced additional funding of £250m for adult apprenticeships, the reduced funding of £1.1bn in the further education (FE) sector will leave a wide range of crucial skills provision unfunded at a time when it is essential for the economy’s recovery. Higher education public funding is being reduced by 40% as predicted but the government is endorsing Lord Browne’s proposals for closing that gap with fees. With FE, the headache is in the reduced funding for the further education sector of £1.1bn when no clear solution for closing the gap is proposed.
“A move to fee-paying in this sector would require a huge cultural change, not only from the sector but from the learners themselves. How we will meet the additional funding required needs to be addressed urgently if we are not to see a collapse in skills provision in FE.
“Many of the FE colleges are beginning to think creatively about this but there are concerns about how we get learners to buy into the possibility of paying fees. Lord Leitch made it clear that the whole nation needs to increase its skills. You can’t tackle NEETS as an issue and not fund training. This is a significant gap and we need to resolve how to fill it.”
To speak to Jim, please contact Sarah Evans-Toyne or Mel Shelley at Broadgate Mainland on 020 7726 6111 or bakertilly@broadgatemainland.com
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