11:00am Sunday 21st March 2010
By Emma Streatfield
ADULTS look set to lose out on vital numeracy and literacy services as college funding is cut.
Swindon College has said for the next school year it will have to cut a variety of courses for the over-19 age group because the Government has reduced their funds for this sector by 19 per cent.
Andrew Miller, new principal of the North Star further education facility, said he believed the cuts would hit hardest basic numeracy and literacy courses, and those for adults with learning disabilities.
He said: “We were expecting cuts but not on this magnitude.”
Swindon College caters for around 3,000 adult learners, for which it received £2.5m last year from the Learning and Skills Council.
However, for the next college financial year, which runs August 2010 to July 2011, it is expecting the 19 per cent cut.
Mr Miller stressed that Swindon College was not the worst affected as some colleges have seen cuts of up to 25 per cent.
He said the Government was concentrating its funding on the level two and three courses for adults, adding: “All it will do is you’ll lose adult learners waiting to take that first step back into learning.
“Level two and three might be a priority for the Government; it might not be for Swindon.”
Mr Miller said the other problem was the funding for the two sectors, 14 to 19-year-olds and adults, was given separately so the college could not share out the funds as they saw fit.
“What we would like to be able to do is move money around to get a whole budget,” he said.
A spokeswoman from the Learning and Skills Council said investment into the FE Sector had increased for the 2010/2011 financial year, but resources had to be focused on the Government’s priorities.
She said: “For both 19 plus and 16 to 18 learning we have sought to mitigate the impact of the funding changes and for adult learner responsive funding this has involved applying a 75 per cent floor and a 90 per cent ceiling to minimise disruption.
“We appreciate that this has still meant a significant impact on the Adult Learner Responsive funding for colleges and training organisations, but it is important to stress that this is only one of the strands of funding available to colleges and training providers.
“The allocation to Swindon providers is calculated to reduce the number of learners Not in Education Employment and Training therefore it can not be used to fund places for adults.
“Colleges are responsible for determining the level and mix of their provision for adults within the funding available.”
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