More jobs to go as South Staffordshire College hit by funding cuts

South Staffordshire College says it is being forced to slash jobs due to Government funding cuts.

Chiefs say it is not yet known how many posts will go, and insist the majority could be voluntary redundancies.

The college has campuses in Lichfield, Cannock, Tamworth and Penkridge. Around 20,000 students, including part-time and adult learners, go to the college each year.

Bosses say the college is 'dealing with a succession of funding reductions'.

Staff at the near-1,000-strong workforce at the college have been told and chiefs are now working out where the axe could fall.

College spokesman Lester Dinnie said: "The college puts students at the heart of everything we do and we appreciate that the quality of our staff is a major factor in that relationship.

"The measures we have outlined are designed to offer a number of alternative forms of working together with collaboration on cost savings. The quality of teaching and learning will remain unchanged, indeed with many of the innovations in digital technologies that we are pioneering, we expect to continue to make advances in the learning and teaching experience on all our campuses.

"We are currently working with the recognised trade Unions and staff to explore all opportunities to make savings and have announced today a voluntary redundancy scheme and a voluntary reduction of hours scheme. At this stage, it is premature to speculate about whether compulsory redundancies will be necessary and the numbers of staff that could be affected."

Chief executive principal Graham Morley said: "South Staffordshire College is a welcoming and successful place to study and we will implement these measures with sensitivity and care, in partnership with our staff, so that the challenges that these funding reductions present enable us to maintain our excellent standards moving forward."

The college recently carried out a £6 million revamp of its Cannock campus.

The Green features 25 new classrooms and teaching areas, a cafe and numerous offices, along with a new glass-fronted entrance and a new spiral staircase leading up from the first floor up to the second.