Wolverhampton North East MP Emma Reynolds has spoken in Parliament and called on the government to give Further Education colleges, like Wolverhampton College, a long overdue funding increase.

FE Colleges have not seen an increase in their per-pupil funding since 2014 and have had to fund pay increases to recruit and retain staff from this fixed funding.

Emma raised these concerns with the Education Secretary in Parliament. Following the debate, Emma said:

“One of the reasons I went into politics was to tackle the huge inequalities we face in society, and education is a big example of this. If you are poor, you are less likely to do well at school than those from a rich background.

“According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Further Education colleges like Wolverhampton College are the ‘biggest loser’ of government cuts to education funding. That the government is now looking at measures to support colleges which are in a position of insolvency says everything about their approach.

“The government needs to turn warm words about parity of esteem between A-Levels and technical or vocation education into reality. It is not reflected in the funding available at present, and this must change.”