NORTH WEST LONDON COLLEGE

That this House congratulates North West London College on receiving a good Ofsted report and an outstanding rating for social and educational inclusion in Brent; condemns the Government's decision to cut funds for adult education at the college; notes that this decision will force the college to scrap over 1,000 places and 50 members of staff representing seven per cent. of the workforce; recognises that these cuts will particularly impact on Black and ethnic minority women, including those studying Level 1 English for Speakers of Other Languages; notes that the Government's policy of setting targets for level 2 and 3 qualifications forces the Learning and Skills Council to divert money from unaccredited, pre-entry and level 1 courses; believes that these lower level courses provide a vital stepping stone into education; and calls on the Government to re-assess the funding criteria for 2007-08, paying greater attention to the ethnic diversity and individual circumstances of Brent.