157 Group welcomes opportunity to work with new coalition
12th May 2010
The 157 Group has welcomed the opportunity to work with the new coalition government.
Lynne Sedgmore CBE, executive director of the 157 Group, said, "As the new Cabinet posts are being announced, we can see a genuine coalition emerging. Vince Cable as the new business secretary is someone with whom we can work positively, and the new schools secretary, Michael Gove, is highly experienced in education. We welcome strongly both appointments.
"This is an exciting time for further education and skills, and we envisage significant freedoms for colleges to play a critical role in skills, unemployment and social cohesion. We are keen to improve our services to employers and to be even more entrepreneurial and responsive, within a less centralised system."
Frank McLoughlin CBE, chair of the 157 Group, said, "In the immediate decisions on cutting the fiscal deficit, the 157 Group hopes that pre-election pledges to cut waste in public services and remove intermediaries will be implemented so that frontline services for learners can be protected. The funding mechanism for the sector has become increasingly complex and fragmented, and we believe that there is scope to achieve significant savings by reducing costly bureaucracy and through economies of scale, shared services and other efficiencies.
"We hope that the pupil premium will apply in colleges as well as schools, to ensure equity for all disadvantaged students.
"We look forward to working with ministers in this historic coalition to ensure that FE colleges continue to provide a key resource in enabling the new government to equip the country with the skills required to move out of recession and unemployment as soon as possible and to create a more motivated, unified and cohesive society."
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