Stafford College axes fourteen jobs after spending review
Fourteen jobs, including teaching posts, have been axed at Stafford College after a summer-long review into staffing levels.
Bosses say the college has not suffered as badly as others in the face of swingeing cuts across the further education sector.
Around half the jobs being lost are teaching posts.
Staff were warned earlier this year that the college was looking at the way it operates in the face of an anticipated fall in funding from September and some posts were under review.
A 30-day consultation period was launched for employees and unions to have their say.
A spokesman said: "At the end of the last academic year, the college went through a transformation period to align our services in response to the changes taking place in further education.
"The college had minimal staffing changes by comparison across the sector with only 14 compulsory redundancies from over 500 staff.
"Within this 2.7 per cent staffing reduction, less than 1.4 per cent were teaching staff which allowed us to minimise any impact on students' learning and ensure we maintain our status as the highest achieving college for 16 to18 year olds in the region."
He said the changes would allow the college to be more efficient and help it to be more responsive to the 'rapidly changing' further education sector.
He said the redundancies had to be made to make the college sustainable for the future and for the long-term benefit of students, employers and the wider community of Stafford.
Since September last year, 19 full-time workers, 11 part-time staff and 16 casual employees have handed in their notice but the college described the departures as 'business as normal' and part of 'natural staffing workflows'.
Bosses said staff turnover was under nine per cent and had more than halved compared to the previous year.
In November, Ofsted inspectors concluded that Stafford College 'required improvement' in the three key areas including 'effectiveness of leadership and management'.
In the subsequent report, lead inspector Stephen Hunsley said: "Governors and senior leaders have not acted quickly enough since the previous inspection to implement the improvements required to become a good college."
