Colleges Week 2019

Following on from the success of last year’s ‘Love Our Colleges’ campaign, QAC dedicated 14-18 October to Colleges Week 2019 and highlighted the amazing work colleges do and why long-term term investment is crucial for our future.

Colleges Week is part of the ‘Love Our Colleges’ campaign and sees colleges across the country, along with education unions and students, hosting and getting involved in events to showcase the brilliant stuff they do, as well as to raise awareness of the funding challenges that colleges face. The government has committed to colleges in recent months but this must be followed by sustainable, long term funding.

Colleges across England educate and train 2.2 million people every year and there is a growing acceptance that their role is vital in improving the country’s productivity and reducing the nation’s growing skills gap.

David Hughes, Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges, said: “The £400m funding boost announced in the spending review and the Secretary of State’s speech at the Conservative Party conference showed that the government is committed to investing in further education and skills. However there are many funding and policy challenges to grapple with to ensure colleges can thrive in the long term. Now more than ever we need highly skilled, well-educated workforces to deliver for our economy and country. 

“Colleges Week this year is about celebrating the amazing work colleges do, educating 2.2 million people every year, including more than 600,000 16 to 18-year-olds. Colleges have been neglected in recent years and proper funding for adult education is still urgently needed. This week is about making our voices heard and campaigning with partners to make sure colleges continue to be a serious political, economic and social priority.”