Staff in FE colleges in Wales are set to receive a pay increase that will put them on a par with teaching staff in schools.
Current FE lecturers will receive a pay rise of at least 2.75 per cent, which will come into effect in the current academic year. New staff joining the workforce will see a 5 per cent pay rise.
The pay deal was brokered by ColegauCymru, the national organisation representing the 13 FE colleges in Wales, alongside the Welsh government, employers and trade unions.
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‘Pay parity’ between school and college staff
The deal, according to ColegauCymru, is “based on the principles of social partnership and extends to all staff across a wide range of roles essential to the effective running of the FE colleges in Wales”.
Education minister Kirsty Williams said it was essential that FE staff received the same pay as school teachers.
“We recently announced an increase in the further education budget of £23m for the next financial year, which includes funding for sixth forms and adult community learning. We are also investing an additional £2 million to increase mental health and wellbeing support for students and staff in further education institutions,” she said.
Dafydd Evans, chair of the ColegauCymru principals’ forum, said: “Staff are the key component in delivering life-changing learning to students of all ages. In a time of continued austerity, the approach taken by individual colleges and the Welsh government has been to ensure that there is parity between school and college staff.”
The Welsh government has provided £6 million towards the pay rise, a contribution of 1.75 per cent towards the 2.75 per cent increase, matching the support the Welsh government announced for school teachers’ pay. The remainder has been secured via college budgets.
