203 college leaders write to the Chancellor and Secretary of State

203 college leaders write to the Chancellor and Secretary of State, including Derwentside College’s Principal and Chief Executive, Chris Todd, demanding the implementation of the Post-18 Education Review (The Augar Review)

• Every leader from every general further education college in England has written to the Chancellor and Secretary of State for Education

• The letter is calling on government to implement the recommendations of the government’s recent Post-18 Education Review [The Augar Review]

• Recent forecasting by AoC warns that the country risks widening the skills gap and reducing economic output by £3.3 billion a year, if government isn’t swift to act

In an unprecedented move, the leaders of every general further education college in England have joined forces to write an open letter to the Chancellor and Secretary of State for Education urging them to “answer the calls from business” and respond to the “challenges of technological change and Brexit” by urgently investing in the country’s technical and vocational education system by implementing the main recommendations of the government’s recent Post-18 Education Review (the Augar Review).

The 203 leaders are responsible for institutions that educate and train 2 million people each year, employing 180,000 staff and they have a combined turnover of £6 billion per annum.

The Augar Review called for, amongst other things, an end to the 17.5% cut in education funding for 18-year olds, support so that everybody, regardless of age, to achieve to at least level three, and a rebalancing of the traditional post-18 educational landscape.

David Hughes, Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges said:

“It is extraordinary to have every leader in every general further education college in the country collaborate like this. But then these are extraordinary times. These college leaders are uniquely placed at the hearts of their communities, working closely with local, national and international business, supporting individuals to get on in life, and driving the social mobility agenda.

Government needs to listen to them if they’ve got any chance of tackling the major issues this country faces, now and in the future.”

Chris Todd, Principal and Chief Executive of Derwentside College said:

“The Augar Review makes a number of powerful recommendations about the future of education and skills in this country. As a leader of a Further Education College, I would like to encourage the government to enact these recommendations and to demonstrate their commitment to a skills revolution.”