“Just to clear up a few inconsistencies and misguided comments. City College Plymouth is also a Plymouth University Campus, which is not only responsible for, so called real skills development. It is indeed additionally responsible for carrying out many degrees, albeit foundation degrees, which is equivalent to the first two years of a BSc honours degree; once students have completed this foundation degree they are entitled to enter the final year of the corresponding honours degree at university. This is an extremely well established system that aids the main university campus in particular with regards to the student ¿ lecturer ratio. Although many suggest that the influx of students in Plymouth is somewhat annoying; it must be equally considered, that the increased revenue which derives from students is substantial. Finally, in direct response to some comments; although it is possible for students to download and pass others work off as their own because it is so widely available on the internet; students rarely succeed in accomplishing this. I can assure all participants that lectures consistently use online plagiarism checkers. As it is illegal to pass another¿s work of as one¿s own or even quote another¿s work without making reference to the original source, students face very tough sanctions, which students are informed of before entering a degree. Yes, it¿s easy to get information through resources such as the internet, grass roots research is encouraged at universities, but obviously not plagiarism.

It¿s more that regrettable that the populations educational needs will need to suffer. I am concerned that the cuts in education are an extremely short sighted measure. Cut¿s to the school building plans, cuts in teaching assistances, cuts to colleges and universities. What¿s going to happen in ten years when the country hasn¿t got a professionally trained and skilled work force? I suppose the country will then reverse its skilled migration cap. This has massive implications for the countries future development¿.extremely short sighted.”

“I fully understand the issue about funding cuts affecting the budget on teaching at the college- however and this is a big however- this college has continually made cuts to their staff almost on a bi-annual basis. Something tells me that the problem is little more deeper than just cuts in funding.”

“Plumbing, catering and hairdressing sounds like a silly course to me. Who would want to study that combination David? Surely it would be better to specialise?”

“Note all of you talking about the university. The article is about City College (used to be called the CFE) not the university. City College is about learning real skills (plumbing, catering, hairdressing etc) for jobs not degrees”

“The University is about to announce another set of redundancies as well, because of its funding cuts. If it stopped all the Academic staff going on jaunts to Canada, America, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Dubai for 'Research', they wouldn't need the redundancies.
Someone somewhere needs to analyse just what 'Staff Development' means in the University, and just how much is spent in this budget. Because it's tax payers money being spent for the equivilant of a free holiday, several times a year for some Academics. Some even take their families!
City College is well past it's sell by date. Poor organisation is their downfall.”

“Universities are well past their sell by dates in this day and age. Any student wanting an essay or dissertation to pass off as his own work to his tutor can download one from the net for a couple of quid.
For example slip me a few bob and i'll do a nice essay for you on the citric acid cycle, also known as the Krebs cycle or tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, a series of chemical reactions in the cell that breaks down food molecules into carbon dioxide, water, and energy.”

“Alan the reason Plymouth is so reliant on THE UNIVERSITY! is that it has very little else going for it!”

“Well I do hope they will tell me if my course / lecturers will be affected seeing as though I will be the only full fee paying person on the course I've signed up for, as unlike all those who don't pay because they're on benefits and who are mainly there for a laugh to keep DHHS off their backs ( I obviously do NOT include the youngsters under 19 ) I cannot afford to throw good money after bad”

“Quote- "Universities have also been told that their budgets will be squeezed by £449m in 2010 to 2011"

Good, unis have been around for hundreds of years and are not needed nowadays anyway because students can easily study stuff on the internet, and so can the general public, I'm currently studying the reflection of ultracold rubidium atoms from a double potential barrier myself.”

“Demportboy

Do you get up early simply to follow me around on here - spouting your pseudo left-wing drivel, or is it a case of having a very regular bowel movement with the inconvenience of only waking up afterwards?

Now, lets test you 'demport boy'.
Justify the equality & diversity industry. Taking into account it's positive results compared with it's cost to the tax payer.

Oh...and Good morning

:)”