The STUC will camapign against Scottish
Government further education cuts which
will 'have a devastating impact on the
Scottish economy and workforce'.
Backing an ASLEF motion, UNISON's Carol
Ball recalled Alex Salmond quoting Burns
declaring that “the rocks would
melt in the sun” before he would
sanction university tuition fees.
"Welcome
certainly - but at the same time as the
first Minister was expressing
this fine poetic sentiment. The sentiment
for students and staff in further education
was a bit more blunt.
"They don’t have rocks melting
in the sun - more shivering darkness
to death in out in outer darkness as
far as the Scottish government is concerned."
Carol outlines the recent attack on
FE colleges: "We’ve
seen a situation where colleges have
been
merging
- not
through
any particular
educational imperative but simply because
the budgets have been slashed to such
an extent that its a case of merge or
close. And that is before the Scottish
Government’s planned Centralisation
process
takes place."
1,300 FE jobs have been lost with 80,000
part time college places lost. Yet an SNP
backbencher tried to make out that only
'hobby' courses were being cut.
"So asked Colleges what courses
have been withdrawn", saiud Carol. "They
haven’t
all got back to us yet – but even
the info we have is
worrying enough
The CITB block release Bricklaying course at North Highland College
The Full Time – HND in Mechanical Engineering at City of Glasgow College
The part time HNC in healthcare at Clydebank
The SVQ in professional cookery in Inverness
The Vehicle Systems - Body and Paint Maintenence course at Moray college,
The HND in Agriculture in Edinburgh
... and hundreds of others.
"Routes back to employment, mechanisms
for improvement, opportunities to fulfil
potential. Either cut or gone completely",
Carol told delegates.
17 April 2013
