UCU campaign secures £8.9m cash boost for further education

The announcement follows a UCU campaign for extra funding in the sector, which culminated in a 300-strong demonstration at the National Assembly for Wales on 1 April 2009.

Guy Stoate, chair of the UCU Cymru further education committee, said: 'This is great news for further education and also for the Welsh economy.  With this additional funding, jobs and courses can be protected and the sector can play its part in the recovery of our economy.

'The assembly government should be congratulated for responding so quickly to our campaign and to the serious concerns put forward by UCU members.

'Now the onus is on the colleges themselves and we expect every institution previously considering job losses to call a halt to their plans.  We have said all along that the middle of a recession is not the time to be making qualified lecturers redundant when the economy needs them more than ever.  This extra funding changes the whole debate and there is now no need for the threatened redundancies.'