Commenting on the passing of motion 42 at Annual Conference in Harrogate, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“Post-16 is a fundamental part of the provision for young people's education. Despite this, funding for our sixth form colleges and further education (FE) colleges has been inadequate for far too long, with staff pay even worse than in schools.
“The underfunding of post-16 education has a knock on effect for staff, students and the sector as a whole. This is compounded by the fragmentation of collective bargaining in FE with the loss of national terms and conditions. This has undermined the role of post-16 education in skills development.
“The issues facing the post-16 sector must not be ignored by government and policy makers. Now is the moment for the government to repair the damage caused by years of under-resourcing through a significant injection of funding to close the pay gap between schools and colleges. There must also be an extension of binding collective bargaining on pay and working conditions to FE.
“The NEU will continue to campaign for the investment FE colleges need by building power in the post-16 sector, including increased professional unity with our sister unions, to ensure that those delivering this vital part of our education service are properly valued and paid.”