Budget: missed opportunity to put the next generation first

Education is key to driving growth and ensuring the country can compete on a global scale, said UCU in response to the budget today.

George Osborne said the reform of universities and apprenticeships was the single most important long-term economic policy the government is pursuing. UCU said it agreed with his sentiments, but asked if that was the case why were universities and colleges both victims of further cuts announced in today's budget?

The union said warm words could not provide the growth in key areas the country needs or help the almost one million unemployed young people*.

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'We agree with the chancellor that education is vital to the long-term prospects of the country. However, warm words are simply not enough when universities and colleges are victims of his cuts.

'Education is absolutely fundamental to our future both as a nation that can compete on the global stage and to getting young people into work. Over one in five 16 to 24-year-olds are unemployed. We need to be doing much more to help them, not slashing funding for education and hiking up the cost of going to college or university.

'Public servants across the board are being asked to do more for less. While millionaires look forward to a tax break, families across the country will see yet another erosion in their standards of living. Instead of spending money to try and stimulate some growth in our struggling economy, they will be worrying about how to meet their ever-increasing bills.'

* New figures released today revealed that 993,000 young people are unemployed, taking the unemployment rate for 16 to 24-year-olds up to 21.2%.