IfL calls for independent inquiry

Following the Chancellor's statement earlier today about the 2010 spending review, the Institute for Learning (IfL) is calling on the coalition government to set up an independent inquiry into world-class teaching and training in further education and skills.

IfL’s chief executive, Toni Fazaeli, said, “It is vital that we identify from the best practices nationally and internationally how teachers and trainers can be supported in their quest for excellence, and always being leading edge in their practice.

“The spending review announcements refer to employers and individuals having to pay more for courses or training, mirroring Chris Banks’ recent review of further education fees, which called for a rebalancing with government paying a smaller percentage of the costs of provision. When this happens, expectations on teachers and trainers are likely to increase dramatically. As the professional body for teachers and trainers, IfL is determined that our members should get recognition for their demanding professional role, and the support needed for professional development opportunities to meet ever greater expectations on them.

“IfL considers that achieving the proposed 25 per cent reduction over four years will be tough, and that it will inevitably involve loss of provision and loss of jobs in our sector, including for teachers and trainers. IfL continues to urge leaders in our sector to protect the frontline provision for learners and teachers’ and trainers’ jobs as far as possible.

“The government is forecasting job losses of 490,000 across the public sector, and we have heard that this could result in more than a million job losses across public and private sectors. The nation’s need for further education is likely to be even greater in this context, when individuals seeking new employment or to create their own new business enterprises need to reksill and upskill. IfL considers that further education and skills is a national investment for building our way out of recession, and not an overhead that it is reasonable to reduce.

“IfL does, however, welcome the government’s commitment to basic skills in numeracy and literacy and to raising the participation age to 18. The announcement of an extra 75,000 adult apprenticeships is good news too, as is the welcome reference to student loans in further education.

“IfL commits to working with the government on behalf of teachers and trainers, to help mitigate the potentially damaging effects of reductions in public spending on further education and skills, as far as possible. We will work with the government and leaders of colleges and providers to help make sure that priority is given to protecting investment in frontline teaching and training and professional teachers and trainers.”