FE review Birmingham – get support from your MP
Further education has suffered a 40% cut since 2010. This has resulted in 1 million student places going and with this thousands of teaching posts. This has taken place at a time where there are 700,000 16-24 year olds without education, training or employment and 15% of 16 to 65 year olds have no qualifications. We are now going through the process of area reviews, with Birmingham taking part in one of the first of these, where we are facing mergers, and potentially more course closures and job losses as the FE commissioner looks to deliver even more savings from a sector already massively underfunded. Please call on your MP to take an active role in standing up for further education: there is a template letter below followed by contact details.
Dear…
I am writing as a constituent to ask you to defend further education. Colleges provide a vital role in communities, providing access to education, skills, and a future to people from all walks of life. After huge cuts to funding over the last few years including a 24% cut to adult education this February, the Birmingham area review could lead to course closures, job losses, and stop many students from getting the education they deserve. Please support further education by actively calling on the FE commissioner Dr David Collins to ensure the following in the proposed outcomes of the area review:
- The proposals should make it easier for people to reach their full potential whatever their backgrounds.
- The proposals should make the colleges an attractive place for staff to work and stay
- The proposals should not narrow the subjects available for study
- The proposals should not lead to increased fragmentation and privatisation and have a damaging impact on quality.
- The proposals should not lead to attacks on staff jobs, pay rates, pensions and terms of employment: there should be no compulsary redundancies and staff should have a manageable workload to deliver high quality provision
(If you have personal experience of further education as a student or worker it would be useful for you to share this here)
Thank you for standing up for further education – it has a vital role in our community
Yours sincerely…
MP contact details
Birmingham Metropolitan College – Andrew Mitchell MP, Conservative
andrew.mitchell.mp@parliament.uk
Bournville College – Richard Burden MP, Labour
richard.burden.mp@parliament.uk
Twitter: @richardburdenmp
Solihull College – Julian Knight MP, Conservative
julian.knight.mp@parliament.uk
Twitter: @julianknight15
South and City College Birmingham – Shabana Mahmood MP, Labour
shabana.mahmood.mp@parliament.uk
Twitter: @shabanamahmood
Cadbury Sixth Form College – Richard Burden MP, Labour
See above
Joseph Chamberlain College – Roger Godsiff MP, Labour
godsiffr@parliament.uk
Twitter: @rogergodsiff
The Sixth Form College Solihull – Julian Knight MP, Conservative
See above
Area reviews public meeting: Tuesday 8th December, 6pm, Carr’s Lane church, Birmingham: details and registration here http://www.eventbrite.com/e/birmingham-6th-form-and-fe-area-review-public-meeting-tickets-19636448145
100 miles from the sea 
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