College reps from the North West joined the #LoveOurColleges lobby of Parliament for fair funding for FE.

The #LoveOurColleges campaign aims to highlight and celebrate the valuable work that our further education colleges do, and calls for more funding and higher pay in the sector.

Thousands of students, college staff, trade unionists and college leaders joined the march and rally last Wednesday.

The rally was addressed by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who called for parity between vocational and academic routes, an end to the growing influence of for-profit education businesses, and a pay rise for college staff.

Shadow Education Secretary and former UNISON North West Regional Convenor Angela Rayner spoke about how FE helped turn her life around, and promised real investment in lifelong learning as part of Labour’s plans for a National Education Service.

The rally also heard from Labour FE spokesperson Gordon Marsden, Jon Richards from UNISON, and speakers from organisations including the Association of Colleges.

UNISON members attended from North West colleges including Bolton, Hugh Baird, Liverpool, Manchester, and Cheshire College South & West.

Some MPs held meetings with constituents about FE, including Angela Eagle, Jeff Smith, Tony Lloyd, Mike Kane, James Frith, Laura Smith, Yasmin Qureshi, David Crausby and Bill Esterson.

There is more information about the campaign on the #LoveOurColleges webpage