AMiE Members Take Campaign To Cardiff

AMiE is taking a leading role in the fight against  funding cuts at many Welsh colleges. AMiE and ATL,  along with all the other unions involved in education, are working together to bring the Welsh Assembly Government to its senses. This follows the latest funding settlement for 14-19 provision in Wales which will see some colleges losing up to 7% of their funding. School sixth forms are also badly affected.

Joint union lobbying of the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) and officials from the education department DCELLS is already underway; and this will be made visible with a demonstration outside the WAG building in Cardiff on 1 April. Campaign supporters can also join a Facebook group opposed to the cuts which has been started by an AMiE member at Coleg Sir Gar.

Commenting on the campaign, AMiE Wales officer Brian Thornton said, “I’m delighted by the level of support our members are showing. We are confident of a good turnout for the demonstration next week. Today we have seen an excellent turnout from members of AMiE and the other education unions in coordinated demonstrations against the savage cuts outside Sir Gar, Swansea and Gorseinon Colleges. Now we must unite to demonstrate outside WAG headquarters to argue the case for a properly funded and valued further education sector “

The impact of funding cuts on college staff and students will be severe. AMiE is expecting sweeping job losses at a number of colleges including Coleg Gwent, Coleg Sir Gar, Gorseinon and Swansea Colleges.

Further information about the cuts can be found at the BBC News Wales website.

Denham Pledge on Apprenticeships

Skills Secretary John Denham today pledged to help apprentices go to university, and to ensure higher education meets the needs of students who have come up through a vocational route.

Welcoming Progression into Apprenticeships, a  Skills Commission’s report published today, Mr Denham said:

“Apprenticeships are valuable in their own right, but I believe there should be clear progression routes for young people and adults who complete their apprenticeships and want to go further – whether that’s onto an advanced apprenticeship, a diploma or a foundation degree and beyond.

“Alongside this, I want universities to offer high-level vocational courses to meet the needs of students who have come up through vocational routes. Vocational routes to higher education are important. But it is also important that vocational training should continue to higher levels.

“Demand for apprenticeships far outstrips supply and they’re proving increasingly popular with young people and adults alike. More and more people will reach the threshold of university education through vocational routes, such as apprenticeships. Our education system must be able accommodate those people and help them gain higher levels of skills and qualifications.”

The Government affirmed its commitment to incorporating Apprenticeship frameworks into the UCAS tariff to make it simpler to go to university after an apprenticeship in its New Opportunities white paper, published in January.

Currently, apprentices can progress onto a foundation degree. Foundation degrees are rising in popularity: 72,000 students studied for one in 2007/08 and the Government has a target of 100,000 enrolments by 2010.

Over the coming months, ministers will be considering a fresh form of vocational degree which would benefit learners and employers alike. Vocational degrees could help more people get the high-level skills they need to pursue a rewarding career and could address particular skills gaps in industry.

The Skills Commission report published today also recommends clearer mapping between diplomas and apprenticeships, so that people studying diplomas know precisely when and where they have acquired a qualification that is also part of an apprenticeship and what further qualifications they would need to complete the apprenticeship.

Mr Denham reaffirmed that young people completing a diploma would have clear progression routes into apprenticeships, and that, from 2013, learners in England will have entitlements to both apprenticeships and diplomas.

Mr Denham said:

“We are making good progress on supporting progression from diplomas to apprenticeships. We will make sure the links between apprenticeships and diplomas are clear and understandable to learners and their parents, as well as to employers and apprenticeship training providers.”

The Skills Commission report also called for a clearer definition of programme-led apprenticeships, courses which involve an apprentice studying full time at a college or training provider without necessarily having an employer.

DIUS and DSCF will respond in full to each of the Skills Commission’s recommendations in the summer.

Growing Ease With Diversity

Ten years on from the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry a new Ipsos MORI survey for the Equlaity and Human Rights Commission shows British people are increasingly at ease with racial diversity but lack faith in our institutions to represent all groups or treat them fairly.

About half (49%) of the general public are optimistic Britain will be a more tolerant society in ten years time.  This figure increases for members of ethnic minorities with 58% optimistic about the future.

The survey also shows that there are relatively high levels of social interaction between races.  The majority of the general public (70%) is comfortable for their children to choose a partner of a different race or faith.

And in the week that the United States gets its first African American president, just over half of the general public in this country (56%) think it is likely Britain will have a Black, Asian or mixed race Prime Minister in the next 10 to 20 years.

But the picture is not wholly positive. Ten years after Sir William Macpherson’s inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence the survey also reveals scepticism about the police and race among ethnic minority groups.  When asked to consider the police investigation into Stephen’s murder over half (53%) of ethnic minority groups think there would be similar failings today if the police were to investigate such a crime.

The study also shows that faith and belief may be a more significant source of division in Britain than race today.  Three in five (60%) of the general population and two in three (66%) of those in ethnic minority groups think religion is more divisive than race.

Commenting on the survey, Trevor Phillips, Chair of the Commission said,  “This survey reinforces my faith in the basic decency of the British people. At this historic moment, when America has chosen its first black leader, it is heartening to recognise that here in Britain we have a sophisticated sense of our own identity and an appreciation and interest in difference.

“But we can’t be complacent.  The survey points to emerging religious divisions and as we mark a darker moment in our own history, the tenth anniversary of the inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence, it is clear the police still have work to do to convince our ethnic minority communities they deserve their trust.

“I believe the police are sincere about change but they, and other British institutions, need to work harder to keep up with an Obama generation so positive about the future and the diversity of Britain.”

Light A Virtual Candle In Support Of Holocaust Memorial Day

Tuesday 27th January is Holocaust Memorial Day, the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau. It is the international day of remembrance for the victims of the Holocaust and of other genocides. The aim is to commemorate victims, honour survivors and commit to tackling prejudice, discrimination and racism in the present day.

The theme of this year’s day is Stand Up to Hatred. It urges all of us to look at our behaviour to others; to understand how hate is directed against different minorities in Britain today; and to explore how each of us can help make our communities stronger and safer.

One way people are being asked to show support is to light up a virtual candle at the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust website. The Trust also provides a range of free resources that can be used by schools and colleges. A leaflet (pdf) about the Holocaust Memorial Day can be downloaded here.

Make State Funded Training Available For Those facing Redundancy

As the Government prepares for its job summit today, a new TUC report published  is calling for state funded training to be extended to all workers facing redundancy.

Skills in the Recession welcomes the Government’s recent £350 million expansion of Train to Gain for small and medium-sized employers to train staff. The TUC report calls for this to be expanded further by relaxing Train to Gain funding rules, so that all workplaces threatened with job losses can access funding.

The report also calls for the Government to revise the ‘16 hour rule’ that prevents people studying for more than 16 hours a week from claiming unemployment and housing benefit. This discourages benefit claimants from taking further education courses, even though evidence suggests that it can help people back into work.

As well as short-term measures to help dampen the impact of the recession, the report calls on the Government to link its skills strategy with a more active industrial strategy.

The TUC wants the Government to match investment in sectors that the UK is performing well in, such as creative industries and low energy manufacturing, with investment in appropriate skills so that the UK workforce can meet the demand for new jobs in these sectors.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: “Providing more training will give the millions of people who have lost their jobs a better chance of returning to work as quickly as possible. The Government deserves credit for increasing investment in training, such as the extra £140 million announced to boost apprenticeships.

“But more can be done, such as expanding Train to Gain to all those at risk of redundancy and removing the ‘16 hour rule’ that discourages benefit claimants taking further education courses.

“As well as the short-term need for training, the Government must also look at the kind of economy we want to emerge from the recession. We want to see a fairer, more balanced economy, with a greater emphasis on high value jobs. To do this, the Government must ensure that UK workers have the skills to take up new jobs in high performing sectors like our creative industries and low energy manufacturing.”

Will Tories Cut Spending on Training?

The Conservatives proposed this week to abolish income tax on savings paid by basic-rate tax payers. They aim to fund this through restrictions on public spending amounting to cuts of some £5.4 billion. Although the Tories say they will match Labour’s spending on health and schools, we doubt further education and training would escape the axe.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:

“The taxpayer will have to shell out £5.4 billion to fund this proposal, which would mostly benefit big banks, the super-rich and tax avoiders.

“It would not create a single new job but would instead add to the dole queues as a result of proposed cuts in public spending.”

TUC Calls For Tax Cuts

The TUC has called on the Chancellor to use the Pre-Budget Report (PBR) next week to make tax cuts for low and middle income earners to stimulate the economy.

In a letter to Alistair Darling, the TUC says that putting extra money into the pockets of low paid workers and the unemployed is the most effective economic stimulus because they are likely to spend their money quickly.

The TUC has also urged the Government to help the victims of recession through suspending housing repossessions, higher benefits and better redundancy pay.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber praises the Government’s reaction to the financial crisis but says the PBR must be: “As bold in heading off unemployment, as it has been in resolving the banking crisis. Policy must be designed with three objectives in mind: to prevent job loss; to get the unemployed back to work; and to prevent those in unemployment facing hardship.”

Measures backed by the TUC include:

• Tax cuts targeted at those on middle incomes and below to stimulate the economy. This should form part of a permanent rebalancing of the tax system that makes the super-rich pay more and those on low incomes less.
• The Government to press lenders for a moratorium on repossessions and take action to help consumers with excessive debt.
• An increase in unemployment benefits, statutory redundancy pay (in line with the 2005 manifesto commitment) and the amount of redundancy pay that can be taken tax free.
• An extra £10,000 tax free allowance for redundancy pay spent on training.
• Bring forward planned infrastructure spending, increasing funds into social housing and investment to make the UK a leading low carbon economy.
• An industrial strategy which supports sectors that are already outperforming the rest of economy and have the potential to do better.
• More investment in skills.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: “The Government has shown the rest of the world the way in how to rescue the financial system. Now it must show the same commitment to making the recession as short and as shallow as possible.

“This requires not just a big boost to the economy, but a smart one. It should give extra resources to medium and low paid workers and the unemployed who are most likely to spend extra cash. And it should boost public spending in ways that will both produce immediate economic benefits but also make the UK a fairer and greener place.

“We are going to have a grim time, but at least at the end of it we should aim to emerge as a better balanced and more sustainable country that has decisively narrowed the gap between the super-rich and the rest of us.”

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TUC Welcomes Move Towards Scrapping 48 Hour Opt-Out

Responding to today’s decision by the employment social affairs committee of the European Parliament to scrap the Working Time Directive opt-out by 35 votes to 13, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:

“Workers across the UK will be heartened by the committee’s vote to end the opt-out from the 48 hour week.

“Our long hours culture, which has been shored up by the opt-out, has risked the health of many workers. Regularly working more than 48 hours increases the chance of suffering from heart disease and stress related illness, as well as diabetes and other ailments.

“The vast majority of long hours workers want to move to a better work-life balance and are hungry for change. Today’s vote is a welcome step towards ending the opt-out and the pressure will now be on the European Parliament to ratify the decision next month.”

Student Grant Cut “Contradictory”

Commenting on the news that the Government is cutting grants for new higher education students from September 2009, Martin Freedman, head of pay, conditions and pensions at AMiE partner the Association of Teachers Lecturers (ATL), said:

“The Government’s higher education policy is contradictory and confusing.  First it says it wants 50% of young people to go on to higher education, now it announces a limit on the number of new students.  The Government had also said it wanted to widen participation in higher education, but it has cut the amount a student’s family can earn and be eligible for a grant.  Although this is supposed to affect so-called middle income families, the reduced family income threshold means students will be hit if they have two parents who earn no more than an average salary.  The Government’s funding errors should not be allowed to affect the life chances of young people.”

Put Fat Cats On Strict Diet

Responding to the rescue plan for UK banks, announced yesterday by Chancellor Alistair Darling, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:

“We welcome this bold package, but it is vital that the vast sums of taxpayers’ money are used to change bank behaviour, not just bail them out. Fat cats must be put on a strict diet. They must start to lend to business again, and they must cut the cost of borrowing.

“Most importantly, the Government must make sure the banks can never gamble with peoples’ livelihoods again. A very different banking system must emerge at the end of this.”

At an international level, the General Secretaries of the ITUC, ETUC and TUAC have sent an open letter to the G7 Finance Ministers meeting on 10 October, calling for a major recovery plan to stave off the risks of a global recession that goes beyond the coordinated cuts in interest rates announced yesterday by six central banks.

The letter calls for further coordinated interest rate cuts as necessary; and says Governments should bring forward infrastructure investment programmes as well as measures to create ‘green jobs’ through alternative energy development, energy saving and conservation.