college budgets gathering

Protect places at college
Protect access to college
Protect college student support
Protect the quality of the college experience What do we want? “I am completing an HND at Angus College and planning to go on to study BA (Hons) Business Administration at Abertay. I would not have been able to even start my journey without a bursary at NQ Level and would have had to continue working jobs requiring no qualifications, as I had all my life. I am 44 yrs old.” Why do we care?
[er, because of the students] “When I decided to go to college it was for a couple of reasons. One was to better myself and the other was so that I could get a job that paid higher than minimum wage so that as a single mother I could provide for my children better than I was at that time. I had to do an NQ first. I could not have afforded to go to college without support and instead of working toward my HNC and eventually my Degree, I would still be working in a dead end job and not able to give my children the life they deserve Why do we care? "The future of my college matters to me.
As a returning student this was my second chance." Why do we care? Our colleges are under threat from cuts
UK Government cuts can mean Scottish Government cuts
And the UK Government LOVES cuts Cuts! Cuts! Cuts! [Ooops!] We might have kicked up a bit of a fuss... What did we do about it? What did we do then? We might have sent a few e-mails.... We might have bothered a few MSPs
And one or two Ministers What did we do then? There is John Swinney - Cabinet Secretary for Finance
There's many competing priorities for the Government's monies
Obvs we think colleges are a key priority for the monies
But... How does doing the budget work? Health is 34% of the Scottish Government’s budget
Local Government is 33%
Finance is 11%
Infrastructure is 7%
Justice is 4% How does the budget work? Education is 8%
[and of this, colleges are only 20%]
So 1.6% of the Government’s overall budget
Still more than Rural Affairs + Environment
Which is just 1.5% How does the budget work? The Scottish Government is discussing the budget RIGHT NOW
There will be meetings + they'll be lobbied by tons of different interests - like us!
Until they publish THE PLAN in September
Subject Committees look at the different sections (Oct/Nov)
Finance Committee report in early December
Finance Committee debate in December
Bill published January
Stage 1 at end of January
Stage 2 +3 in February Budget process? At the moment we are ON IT
BUT once published - it will depend... What are we doing? Good budget? How much money
does the Government have? Bad budget... OR we know there is money - from UK Govt
reasons to spend it:
HNC/HND Vs Degree funding
Increasing 'articulation' What are we asking for? So what can I do now? With Robin Parker...
NUS Scotland President College cuts - what next? We're awaiting the budget and continuing behind the scenes...
Contact your MSPs + make the case for colleges
Speak to your Principal about what might happen
Make sure you have volunteers + activists -
marshal your troops... In groups - list 5 things we could do if we're fine with the budget
AND 5 things we could do if we're not
10 minutes! - then we'll hear them
To help you out - here's an image from the Inspirational Penguins Gallery (no, seriously) on Sky,com What's the plan? Any questions?
More info online
In your briefings
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twitter Thanks! so what did this mean for college budgets?