A quarter of support staff working in colleges in the UK are worried they will lose their job due to the pandemic, a new survey from Unison reveals. 

The survey, shared exclusively with Tes, shows while 71.9 per cent thought their job was “relatively safe”, 25 per cent were worried about job security and 3.1 per cent had previously thought they were in danger of redundancy but this was no longer the case. 

Exclusive analysis published in Tes in February showed that almost 3,100 college staff in England found themselves at risk of redundancy over the past two years, with support staff most likely be to be affected. 

Tes data showed that in 2019-20, 47 per cent of those put at risk were support staff, and 52 per cent of those who were made redundant, including voluntarily, were in that category. 

So far in 2020-21, 52 per cent of those put at risk were support staff, and 55 per cent of who were made redundant, including voluntarily, were support staff. 

Around 1,500 college support staff participated in Unison’s survey, with the majority in a learning support or administration role. 

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Background: 3,100 college staff put at risk of redundancy

Tes spoke to a Unison member employed in a college in the UK who wished to remain anonymous. They said they felt their job was “always insecure”.

“I think my job is always insecure as incompetent, arrogant and expensive lecturers are always prioritised, despite the damage to their students’ learning,” they said.

“The culture of ‘teaching to the test’ for league-table positions is throwing away talent. Money is tight and being wasted, and teachers refuse to give up hours they stuff with duff teaching.” 

College support staff ‘suffering in silence’

Jon Richards, head of education at Unison, said the pressures on college support workers were immense.

“It’s not just coping with the constant fear of losing their jobs but surviving on low pay, too. It’s even worse for staff who’ve been furloughed. They’ve had to survive a 20 per cent pay cut from what was already a meagre income. It’s little wonder anxiety levels are rising,” he said.

“Well-intentioned wellbeing programmes can’t make up for the stress of the threat of unemployment, the lack of a sense of purpose, low pay or feeling undervalued. 

“With jobs on the line, staff who’ve been through the ringer coping with the pandemic, keeping colleges open while better-paid colleagues can work from home and supporting learners, are suffering in silence.

“They know they’ll be the target of cuts once restructures and redundancies resume, despite all they’ve done for the FE sector before and during the pandemic. That pressure is understandably taking its toll.”

A ‘very vulnerable and anxious’ workforce

In response to the survey, another anonymous staff member said: “Due to the fact I am employed in a ‘practical education’-type role, with lockdowns and such I have been worried about my job, as no students in the college technically means I am not needed. I am also worried about being blamed for students not passing this year due to the Covid situation.”

While one replied: “We were furloughed the first lockdown but not for any other. This made no sense at all and made the workforce very vulnerable and anxious.”

One response read: “We are due a college restructure in probably August - who knows if our job will be safe - I’ve worked non-stop throughout the pandemic but that means nothing in regard to a support staff restructure.”

And even among those who felt their jobs were safe, they spoke of “great stress”. “I feel my job is safe. But there has been absolutely no let-up. Students continue on their course. I continue doing my job as best I can, using a variety of different methods. But there have been many changes to delivery causing more work. Strategies have been put in place to support students but not staff. Sadly [it’s] causing great stress,” one respondent said. 

Colleges ‘don’t want to make staff redundant’

Mary Vine-Morris, area director and national employment lead at the Association of Colleges, said the last thing colleges wanted to do was make staff redundant. 

She said: “Like many businesses, colleges have been adversely affected by the pandemic, including a significant loss of income coupled with rising costs. They have done everything they can to protect their staff and will continue to do so.

“We need colleges to be operating as strongly as possible to respond to a future of increased unemployment and economic upheaval. There is a renewed consensus on the importance of skills, and the role that colleges play - as ever, this needs to be backed up with sustainable government funding, so that colleges can retain their staff, grow their organisations and deliver the support the country needs to support the build back.”

The Department for Education has been contacted for comment.