Funding
£199.5 million was allocated for the provision of Further Education in Northern Ireland in 2007-08. Of this, £177.5 million related to recurrent funding, and £22 million to capital funding.
£119.9 million of the recurrent funding related to Further Education provision [including for the first time Essential Skills provision] and was allocated to the colleges through the new FE funding Model. £21.1 million related to Higher Education in Further Education provision and was allocated through the SPURs funding model.
The new FE Funding Model is based on planned provision rather than historic provision, and has three elements:
1. The College Development Plans, which each set out the college’s intended provision for the incoming year, are the basis for negotiation between colleges and the Department, and when agreed are the basis for funding allocations.
2. The Bi-laterals in which the Department agrees with each college the quantum and types of provision that will be funded.
3. The FLU Distributive Mechanism, which converts actual and planned provision into Funded Learning Units in order to inform the CDP and bi-lateral processes and to determine funding allocations. The basic Unit of Resource is £3,400 per FLU for all FE provision except for Essential Skills provision where the UoR is £3,300.
Funding is also provided to colleges and students through a series of special initiative earmarked funds that are designed to widen access, increase participation, address skills shortages and align provision with the Department’s objectives under Strategy 2010. These include the Additional Support Fund, Support Fund (Discretionary) and Foundation Degree Fund.