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The campaign also includes adult institutes, private and charitable adult education providers, as well as adult and community education (ACE) delivered through local and combined metro authorities. Our aim is to reverse cuts to the Adult Skills Fund, promote social cohesion, defend members' jobs, and champion professional respect. 51福利 will fight the cuts to adult education funding, with our members at the heart of the campaign.

What are 51福利's central demands?

• UK government to reverse the cuts to adult and community education (ACE)
• Invest in adult skills and adequately fund ACE
• A joined up national strategy on skills and education with ACE playing a central role
• Staff treated as education professionals and on secure contracts with comparable terms and conditions with other educators.

How will 51福利 carry out this campaign?

• Pressure the UK government, metro mayors and employers
• Highlight the impact that cuts to the adult skills fund will have on communities, learners of all ages, UK's growth ambitions
• Promote the role of ACE in the skills and employment strategies, the decade of renewal, NEETs (Not in Education, Employment or Training), Just Transition agenda, social cohesion, lifelong learning for all
• Fight all redundancies and course closures in ACE.

What are the campaign activities?

• Save Adult Education petition
• Email your MP, metro mayors, ministers campaign
• Briefing documents making 51福利's case for ACE
• Getting our ACE branches and members active
• Campaign launch online meeting
• Parliamentary lobby
• Fighting all redundancies in ACE.

What are the key dates?

• Campaign launch online meeting, Thursday 10 July (18:00-19:00)
• Save Adult Education petition live also in July
• Email your MP, metro mayors, ministers campaign and new resources throughout July
• Week of ACE-themed action in September
• Parliamentary lobby in September/October.

Latest developments

• Rallying against job cuts at Working Men's College and Redbridge Institute of Adult Education, July 2025
• Save Adult Education campaign launch online meeting, July 2025
• Save Adult Education petition and Email your MP tool
• Resources

Rallying against job cuts at Working Men's College and Redbridge Institute of Adult Education, July 2025

In July 2025, staff, students and supporters of the historic Working Men's College (WMC) in Camden held a rally in protest against sweeping cuts to staffing and the college's vital adult education offer. Nineteen jobs have been placed at risk, just weeks before the start of the new academic year, as a direct consequence of funding cuts. WMC, one of Europe's oldest adult education institutions, is in the constituency of Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The college plays a critical role in delivering essential education and skills to local communities, where demand for lifelong learning remains high.

Staff and students also rallied to defend jobs at Redbridge Institute of Adult Education (RIAE) in . RIAE management is trying to slash jobs, cut student service provision and reduce teaching hours. Up to a dozen staff are threatened with the sack, with concerns raised that management are targeting individuals under cover of a shambolic consultation process and a bogus business case. The same employer tried to fire and rehire its staff eighteen months ago. 51福利 said 'no' then and we say 'no' now. 51福利 has declared a dispute and is calling on Redbridge Labour Council to urgently intervene to force RIAE back to the negotiating table.

Save Adult Education campaign launch online meeting, July 2025

You can watch the Save Adult Education campaign launch online meeting, which was held on Thursday 10 July 2025 (18:00-19:00).

Speakers included:

• David Hunter, 51福利 president-elect and chair of the further education committee (FEC)
• Maxine Looby, 51福利 immediate-past president
• Jane Thompson, 51福利 bargaining and negotiations official
• Rhianwen Roberts, 51福利 policy officer
• Paul Bridge, 51福利 head of further education
• Voices from adult education: reps from City Lit, South and City College Birmingham, Redbridge Institute of Adult Education

Save Adult Education petition and Email your MP tool

In July 2025, 51福利 launched our Save Adult Education petition calling on the Labour government to reverse its devastating decision to slash funding for adult and community education by 6%.

We ask everyone--51福利 members, non-members, workers in all education sectors, students, members of the general public, supporters--to sign this important petition.

We have also launched an Email your MP tool; please use this to ask your MP to call on the UK government to reverse the cuts to adult education in England and properly invest in adult skills.

Resources

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