THE axe is to fall on another 50 jobs at St Helens College.

Bosses at the college say they are being forced to make redundancies as central government continues to squeeze funding for further education colleges The announcement comes as the college, which has about 500 staff, prepares its budget with reduced income for the next academic year. College bosses intend streamlining part of its business support functions in order to make the necessary savings. But they also aim to “realign” the skills of the workforce to meet the needs of a new curriculum.

Changes at the college will see the launch of a 14 to 16 academy to give schoolchildren the option of taking more vocational courses and a broader A-level offer.

They hope the majority of job losses will be through voluntary redundancy.

In a statement, college principal Dr Jette Burford said: “Like many organisations, and indeed many other further education colleges, we are feeling the financial pressures of the time.

“It is with great regret that we must make this announcement but ensuring the financial stability of the college, in order to remain competitive in the fiercely competitive world of education, and to align the college’s skills set with new provisions, it is necessary to make these efficiency savings.”

News of the cuts comes as the college embarks on a £5m redevelopment of its Pocket Nook technology campus. The college believes this investment is vital to its long-term future.

Principal Burford, who has drawn up a vision to raise standards, added: “We are on a journey to become an outstanding college with our students at the heart of everything we do.

“We are committed to continuing the service we offer to all of our students, and we will continue to deliver the qualifications, skills and knowledge that employers want.”