Accrington and Rossendale College is supporting a national week of activity designed to celebrate Further Education Colleges and fight for fair funding for the sector.
Colleges Week takes place from Monday 15 October to Friday 19 October 2018 and is part of the ‘Love Our Colleges’ campaign. This campaign is calling on Government to give colleges better funding and fair pay to ensure they can continue to fulfil a crucial role in the education system and provide the high quality skills provision our country needs.
Accrington & Rossendale College Principal Lynda Mason sees the campaign as an important opportunity to raise the profile and knowledge of further education in colleges across the land. Lynda said “the further education sector has seen a significant reduction in funding over the last 10 years and yet we as a nation more than ever need to have an agile workforce, changing careers during working lives as we work for longer, adapting to new technology and not least an urgent need to become more productive when in work. Therefore re-investment in the further education system should be a priority and at that an urgent one”.
The college will be focusing its activities on engaging and communicating this important message to all its stakeholders throughout the week as well as celebrating the many amazing alumni students of its past.
Whether it’s through top-class technical education, basic skills or lifelong learning, colleges help people of all ages and backgrounds to make the most of their talents and ambitions. Rooted in local communities, they are crucial in driving social mobility and providing the skills to boost local and regional economies.
However, there is currently a reduction in education funding once a student turns 16 – whether they are in a school sixth form or a college. ‘Love Our Colleges’ is calling on government to increase 16-19 funding by 5% a year for 5 years. It is also asking Department for Education to provide exceptional funding, ring-fenced for teacher pay.
David Hughes, Chief Executive, Association of Colleges, said: “Every single day colleges like Accrington and Rossendale College provide a world class education and transform the lives of millions of people.
Colleges Week is an opportunity to celebrate the brilliant things that go on and a chance to showcase the brilliant staff that make it possible. It is simple, if we want a world-class education system then we need to properly invest in it.”
You can get involved in the campaign by:
- Signing the pledge at collegesweek.co.uk
- Sharing Accrington and Rossendale College’s posts on social media
- Providing Accrington and Rossendale College with a testimonial about why the college is so important to you and the community. You can email this to marketing@accross.ac.uk
For more information please visit www.collegesweek.co.uk
