COLEG Gwent Students’ Union representatives handed over a petition to Plaid Cymru AM Lindsay Whittle at the Welsh Assembly last week.

Adam Smith, Coleg Gwent’s Sabbatical President, and students Chris Miller and Joe Paget met with Mr Whittle to discuss how education cuts will impact on students and the quality of education.

And they handed over a petition signed by over 2,500 students and staff from Coleg Gwent.

Mr Whittle was the first Assembly Member to sign the students’ online petition.

And the Students’ Union supports the Fund Further, Fund Higher campaign which proposes that cuts to post-16 and higher education in Wales be reversed.

Mr Whittle has given the petition to Jane Hutt AM, the Minister for Finance.

The Welsh Government announced its draft budget for 2014/15 in October, which outlined a £65 million cut to post-16 education in Wales. Higher education will have £20 million reduced from its budget and £45 million will be taken from further education, work-based learning contracts, adult community learning and sixth form provision.

Mr Smith said: “Further Education helps students from deprived backgrounds to have a chance of doing something.

“And cutting college budgets could mean that students are not getting the much needed resources they need.”

Mr Whittle, AM or South Wales East, said: “It was a very useful to hear the concerns of students about the impact of cuts in further education.

“We also talked about the problems young people face in the valleys in terms of finding employment and creating jobs has to be a priority.”