Courses cut amid funding shortage

A Berkshire university is to shut its School of Continuing Education.

The University of Reading's governing body, the University Council, voted to close the department on Tuesday.

It said it would need £500,000 a year to subsidise the courses for Higher Education (HE) qualifications, which the government no longer funds.

The university added it would be setting up a staff consultation process and was "very hopeful it would be able to avoid compulsory redundancies".

'No alternative'

A spokesman for the university said: "The council of the University of Reading has concluded that there is no alternative business model which will sustainably fund the public programmes run by the university's School of Continuing Education.

"The University of Reading will ensure that all students currently enrolled on Certificates of Higher Education will have the opportunity to complete their courses by continuing with a limited provision of core and optional modules in 2009/10 and 2010/11.

"There may also be opportunities for other students to join these courses over the next two years."

The government's withdrawal of funding from September 2007 affects students studying for a HE qualification that is equivalent to, or lower than, a qualification that they already hold.

The funding impacts on anyone with a first degree who wants to pursue a second degree or short courses such as evening classes.