Further education (FE) colleges must no longer be treated as “lesser entities of learning”, Darren Millar AM has said ahead of a Welsh Assembly debate.
Later today Welsh Conservatives will table a motion which calls on the Welsh Labour Government to recognise the “vital contribution” that FE makes to the Welsh economy – particularly in disadvantaged areas.
Other proposals within the motion include a call for a rolling three-year funding commitment to the FE sector - which has faced £24 million of cuts to grant funding since 2011 – and for some of the savings made from changes in the funding for university student support to be reinvested into FE.
The extra cash will be directed into widening access to higher level skills training and Welsh language education in colleges.
Funding for part-time courses in Welsh colleges has fallen by 71% over the past seven years and Colegau Cymru has warned that so-called ‘second-chance learning’ will no longer exist if this trend is allowed to continue.
“For far too long, institutions of further education have been unjustly treated as lesser entities of learning by the Welsh Labour Government, whose policies have disproportionately favoured schools and universities,” said Darren Millar AM.
“Successive Ministers have missed completely the invaluable contribution of further education providers to cultivating a skilled workforce for local businesses and attracting inward investors.
“This is evidenced in the significant cuts they’ve inflicted on the sector in recent years which has led to a sharp fall in the number of enrolled learners.
He added: “Welsh Ministers must make a funding commitment that reflects the invaluable role colleges play in our economy and lifelong learning.”
/Ends
Motion
To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:
1. Recognises the vital contribution that further education and vocational skills make to the Welsh economy, especially in our most disadvantaged communities
2. Calls on the Welsh Government to commit to a three-year funding cycle for further education colleges at a fair level, to enable more sustainable planning and safeguard the skills needed to make local economies resilient.
3. Calls on the Welsh Government to invest a significant proportion of the savings it expects to make as a result of changes to higher education student support into the further education sector, including into higher level skills delivered in a further education setting and Welsh language provision.