A number of Labour and Plaid Cymru AMs are already running to their local press with the news that the crisis in further education is over and that the thousands of training places across Wales which were announced at Wednesday’s fifth All-Wales Economic Summit will restore the 7.5% cut in funding imposed on colleges by their government earlier this year.
However, as Welsh Liberal Democrat Shadow Economy Minister, Jenny Randerson said, the devil is in the detail. Everything that has come into the public realm so far on this funding indicates that it is another ring-fenced, centralised scheme to support specific training places when what is needed is more core funding. Without that core funding the cuts in staff and courses will go-ahead.
Let us hope that the early optimism of government backbench AMs proves to be well-founded and that One Wales Ministers really have performed a u-turn. Otherwise it could prove to be egg-on-faces all round.
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