The Yorkshire Post says: Government must invest in colleges now for sake of our future

Yet this neglects the importance of primary schools – those children who grasp the basics at an early age are most likely to succeed academically – and the further education sector at a time when the Government expects young people to continue their studies until the age of 18.

However a combination of funding cuts, and significant increase in costs, means colleges are simply not best placed to provide the quality of learning, and holistic environment, that students have a right to expect – a point that Scunthorpe MP Nic Dakin, a former college principal, has made in Parliament.

Offering a level of insight, and expertise, that the whole country should expect from MPs of all parties, he notes the advent of new technical qualifications will be too late for those students who have already seen courses, and lesson time, reduced because of funding.

And while he was sympathetic towards Education Minister Anne Milton, and vice-versa, the plain fact of the matter is that skills have never been more important and this is going to require sustained investment in colleges. Mr Dakin suggests £200 per student as a start. Yet, while some will say this is wishful thinking on Labour’s part, it is also one area of expenditure where the Government can’t afford to do nothing. It is an investment in the nation’s future.