Education

That the Parliament recognises the significant economic and social benefits of extending further education opportunities to a wider cross-section of society; applauds the initiatives of Scotland’s colleges to put in place policies that will widen access at the same time as raising academic achievement; deplores the fact that these initiatives are being heavily compromised by the Scottish Government’s extensive cuts to college budgets, and calls on the Scottish Government to refocus its budget priorities to redress this situation at a time when youth unemployment in Scotland is at a particularly high level.