Further education

That this House recognises the vital role of further education in supporting young people, adult learners and the wider economy, with more than 1.6 million students taught and trained across England each year; believes that further education must be at the heart of the Government’s plans for economic growth and skills; notes with concern that many further education colleges continue to face significant funding pressures; further notes with concern the pay disparity of over £9,000 on average between further education teachers and school teachers, despite them teaching in many cases the same or equivalent qualifications and curricula; also notes with concern reports from the University and College Union (UCU) that further education tutors and lecturers routinely work beyond their contracted hours, contributing to excessive workload pressures and staff burnout; notes with concern that retention rates in further education are worse than in schools, resulting in persistent vacancies, particularly in priority subject areas; supports UCU’s New Deal for Further Education campaign, including calls for a 10 per cent pay rise, parity with schoolteachers’ pay within three years, a minimum starting salary of £30,000, reform of the pay spine, action to close equality pay gaps, national agreement on workloads and a return to national collective bargaining; and calls on the Government to work constructively with the union to achieve these reasonable objectives.