Union slams FCO training decision

Library

Union slams FCO training decision

Plans to axe 104 jobs and close the government’s language training facility for diplomats, MPs and senior public servants, including specialists involved in the fight against terrorism, have been condemned by Prospect as ‘ill-thought out and damaging.’



The move by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is in response to spending cuts imposed by Gordon Brown when he was chancellor. It proposes closing its Whitehall-based school and contracting out the work of teaching 41 foreign languages – including Farsi and Arabic -– to private providers.

But the union has questioned the value of cuts that will deprive key public servants of a bespoke service tailored to their needs and delivered by security-vetted staff.

Describing the decision as a policy U-turn from a review completed last year, Prospect negotiator Mike Sparham said: "The level of training provided for senior staff is degree equivalent, highly specialised and encompasses an understanding of culture. It is vital for diplomats and is not easy to find from other language training providers."

He queried the estimated savings – put at £1.5m – adding that a crude cost comparison between average training costs was misleading and did not take quality into account.

"FCO trainers understand the department’s needs and structure the training to that end.Staff who have taught for over 20 years now face redundancy because the department thinks it can save a small amount of money through outsourcing."

Prospect has received no sound justification for the closure. It argues that the school meets its key performance indicators and that FCO acknowledges its students achieve higher pass rates (90 per cent compared to 83 per cent), which it attributes to a superior quality of teaching.

The union refutes the reasons for closure put forward by the FCO, namely the greater use of group and overseas immersion training, increased flexibility to meet fluctuating demand and higher costs. It is calling on FCO to abandon the closure and discuss ways to make the school more efficient.

Notes:The Language School was established after a foreign affairs select committee report which was critical of the standard of language training in FCO. Only five years ago, further training was brought in-house and staff transferred into the FCO from private provider Communicaid.Since 2006, it has operated as part of the FCO Services Executive Agency. An internal review of language training last year looked at future training needs but did not recommend closing the school.