"Without colleges, where would people go to improve their lives?"
In this second extract from her interview, Jacqui talks about the vital community work colleges are involved in. Jacqui’s interview positions colleges at the heart of the communities in which they are situated.
She links further education colleges’ work to wider social issues such as addressing the effects of poverty and issues of mental health. She identifies how colleges are able to connect with local people in order to access marginalised groups in distinctive ways. She also indicates how funding cuts to colleges mean that much of this work is undertaken but no longer funded.
Jacqui sees further education as offering a lifeline to individuals who have been failed by the school system and who often have multiple disadvantages.
There is a deep concern that government funding cuts are undermining this work:
“Without colleges, where would people go to improve their lives?”
Watch a video of Jacqui discussing these issues below: