Bad deal

The Association of Colleges fought hard to ensure that the long-term unemployed would not be denied places on higher education access courses under the New Deal. Naturally it was horrified to discover that when the New Deal was extended to the long-term unemployed over 25, anyone hoping to take full-time education and training would be able to take courses only on the schedule 2(a) list of approved courses.

The Employment Service document, Operational Vision: New Deal for the Long-term Unemployed People Aged 25+, made it clear that this would exclude higher education courses. Spoiling for round two of a fight that it had already won in principle, the AOC found the government came out already on the ropes. "A printing error," came the excuse. The document should have referred to the much longer schedule 2 list of courses.