Spotlight on Walsall – A look at higher education in the recession – Hit West Midlands Town

The Times Education Supplement recently reported on proposed cuts to universities across the UK. The report looks at Queens University Belfast, which is set to cut costs by £10m, and highlights the similar situation of Oxford Brookes having to cut £500,000. Interestingly, while the report is right to suggest that the recession will be felt by almost every institution in the country, there is little discussion of the difficulties for higher education in certain less prosperous areas of the country.

In Walsall, a large city to the north-west of Birmingham, university cutbacks are certainly one thing, but other statistics published by thisiswalsallonline.co.uk suggest even bigger problems. Currently, 41% of all residents claiming Jobseekers’ Allowance (10,739) in the district are under the age of 24, while less than 10% of school leavers enter higher education, with only 4.5% and 5.1% in the Bloxwich East and Blakenall districts respectively. . These numbers contrast with the hundreds of districts across the country that have 99 percent of youth enrolled in higher education courses.

At first glance, it does not appear that there is a lack of opportunities for those who yearn to enter higher education or enroll in a local degree course. Not only is there good access to facilities in Birmingham, the city itself is also home to Walsall College and the University of Wolverhampton Sports and Art Campus. The University of Wolverhampton currently serves over 20,000 students and has undergone a significant amount of pre-recession development in the last 10 years.

However, despite some evidence of opportunities for young people in the area, Walsall has long been an area of ​​below average academic results, with the Office for National Statistics reporting that only 45 per cent of pupils in the school achieved GCSE grades of A*-C. On thisiswalsallonline.co.uk, Shadow Innovation, Universities and Skills Secretary David Willetts MP strongly pointed out the opportunity. He claimed: “Too many school leavers from poorer backgrounds, who have similar aspirations to their wealthier peers, simply don’t get the opportunities they need to match their ambitions…” School reform is crucial, but government can do more. “

Despite the difficult times in Walsall, plans are being put in place to improve the education of young people. The Vine Trust, a charity established to help young people with learning difficulties, was founded in the town in 1989, and has since gone from strength to strength providing training and services to young people, and working closely with local education . authorities and companies. The Vine Trust is pioneering a new wave of social enterprise, a trend the government is backing to spur new jobs that transform our communities.