UNITED KINGDOM

College body calls for greater freedom for FE

Britain’s Association of Colleges wants further education institutions to enjoy some of the same freedoms as higher education institutions, to help tackle skills shortages and boost the economy, reports the Times Educational Supplement.

Its report, Breaking the Mould: Creating higher education fit for the future, which was published last week, calls for a funding system that would see colleges have the same funding for higher education courses as universities and autonomy as to how to spend it, .

Recent figures show the number of people studying higher education part-time at colleges has fallen by about 20% in the past five years, but the report reckons this could be prevented if there were an equal funding and support system for those studying full-time and part-time.
Full report on the TES site