UCU response to government technical education plans

Responding to government plans to invest £170m in technical education as part of an industrial strategy, UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said:

'It is encouraging that the government has recognised the importance of vocational education and improving skills. However, this sounds like a relaunched skills strategy rather than any new thinking or proper funding.

'This is a drop in the ocean that will do nothing to solve the funding crisis in further education, which has seen 1 million adult places lost since 2010. If government wants to support technical education it should invest in our further education colleges who desperately need thousands more teachers rather than another set of gimmicks.'