You may be aware that this week is College’s Week, in which we celebrate the contributions colleges make to our society and in more recent years highlight the difficulty that many colleges and the FE sector as a whole face as a result of a decade of austerity.

Earlier today, I was chosen to speak in the Westminster Hall Debate ‘the role of colleges in a skills-led recovery from covid-19’.

The debate was very insightful and once again highlighted the difficulties facing the sector, but I was filled with hope that this ‘Cinderella sector’ has lots of champions from across the political divide in Parliament.

You can read or watch my full speech and the whole debate by clicking the links, or find snippets below.

Colleges when properly funded are places of great educational power.

Colleges cannot wait for funding to trickle through over the course of this Parliament, actions must be taken to address the challenges they face now.

The introduction of the job support scheme at the start of next month is a time to integrate training into the stage and allow workers to improve their skills.