Walsall College boss Amarjit Basi has slammed moves to slash further education funding in the region which has suffered most from unemployment due to the recession.

Adult learning courses at the college are facing a 25 per cent cut under Government plans announced earlier this month.

The plans also include a 20 per cent cut in courses run by the college but taught off site at relevant companies in apprenticeship-type schemes.

The cuts amount to £2 million for the college, and 2,500 places on courses.

Mr Basi said: “We recognise that the last 10 years have been good for future education and it’s been good for young people and adult learning. We recognise we need to fund learning, it’s the scale and the comprehensive reduction in one fell swoop which has really taken us aback.

“There is a national methodology which is deciding the allocations for each institution but it appears to be that no one is taking a parachute view of the impact on the community or a region.”

He said he expected critics to say the solution is to charge the full amount of the course to the students taking them.

Wolverhampton College is also facing a 25 per cent budget cut and there are plans to shave £1.2m from Dudley College’s budget.