LIVERPOOL lecturers and students were today expected to take part in a mass Parliament lobby over cuts to adult learning courses.
A team of 15 from Liverpool Community College, made up of past and present lecturers and students, were today due in Westminster.
They were set to join protesters from across the UK for the Campaigning Alliance for Lifelong Learning event.
The protesters were due to have an agreed showdown with Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, John Denham, over the Government’s emphasis that 16 to 18-year-olds and adults should be taught tougher qualifications.
This emphasis has been blamed on the loss of “non-priority courses” – seen as a stepping stone back into education.
Courses have been consigned to the history books across the country in subjects ranging from computing to arts and craft.
Where they have remained, students are now often expected to pay.
Liverpool Community College made 30 redundancies last year and axed scores of the courses last year after nearly £1m was shaved off its adult education budget.
Critics believe the courses should be retained because a quarter of Merseyside residents have no qualifications.
Confirming today’s protest, University and College Union national executive member Maire Daley, a lecturer at Liverpool Community College, said: “If the Government want to equip people with the skills to come out of recession, then they will have to shift their funding priorities towards unemployed adults.”
The protest has won the blessing of principal Maureen Mellor, who revealed the college has stumped up the travel costs.
She added: “Liverpool Community College is supportive of the Campaigning Alliance for Lifelong Learning lobby of parliament.”
Campaigners estimate 207,500 adult education places have vanished from the North West since 2005 alone.
But the Government has stressed adult funding will rise 17% to £3.6bn in 2010-11 and be channelled into areas such as basic literacy and numeracy.