More than 50 jobs are to go at a college at the end of this term.

Management and backroom employees at MidKent College are to be made redundant following drastic cuts in government funding.

It is not expected that teaching staff will be affected.

The college, which has a campus in Medway Road, Gillingham, and at Oakwood Park in Maidstone, employs up to 700 people.

Principal Simon Cook said: "Over the last 10 years, colleges have faced considerable financial challenges, and each successive central government budget and spending review has failed to halt the reduction in funding per student that colleges receive.

"Despite those challenges, residents in Maidstone and Medway have benefited from our investment in our campuses, resources and staff to ensure that our students receive a good standard of education and training.

“Our finances are by no means in crisis.

"But, as a publicly-funded organisation, it’s right that we examine ourselves to make sure that our communities have a college that provides good value for money.

"Simply put, the more efficient we are, the more we can invest in our students to give them the best career preparation possible.

“We are still planning, and welcoming suggestions from our staff about how we can become more efficient.

"We will work closely with colleagues from the university and college’s union to minimise impacts on staff and protect the quality of outcomes for our students, which we anticipate will again demonstrate improvements this year."

Steve Hyland, director of communications and marketing, said: “At the latest assessment from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (2018), it was rated as having 'outstanding' financial health.

"We’re in a position where that financial health means we can take these decisions under our own control, rather than reach a position where we’re forced to do so.

"Simply put, the more efficient we are, the more we can invest in our students to give them the best career preparation possible..." - MidKent College principal Simon Cook

“In effect, we’re doing now what a lot of other colleges around the country have had to do in recent years.

"We took steps 10 years ago to reduce our reliance on government funding and branched out into other areas of training and education, which has meant we’ve had time to reflect and try to get this right.

“We’re not profit-making - this is about efficient use of public funds, which for us, as well as colleges around the country, have reduced under austerity.

“In the meantime, we’ve got to work efficiently so that we can keep investing in our students.

"This year, through the hard work of our staff and students we secured an improved Ofsted grade.

"While we wait for final outcomes, we expect student results to improve again this year. So this isn’t a financial crisis, or a reflection on the quality of our staff. This is us responding to funding reductions and cutting our cloth to suit our means.”

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