500 signatures reached
To: Grant Glendinning, CEO
Save the Skills Academy: Protect jobs, protect vulnerable learners
The Education Training Collective (ETC) must urgently reverse its decision to close the Skills Academy in Billingham. We are calling on ETC to protect this vital provision for vulnerable learners and guarantee the jobs of the dedicated staff who support them.
Why is this important?
The Skills Academy provides a life-changing educational experience for young people in the Tees Valley who cannot thrive in mainstream education. For these learners, the Academy offers a safe, supportive environment with smaller class sizes and specialist staff who understand their needs.
ETC’s proposal to close the site would:
ETC’s proposal to close the site would:
- Leave vulnerable students without appropriate education and support
- Cut the number of specialist teaching roles from eight to just two
- Place all eight current staff at risk of redundancy
This is not just about jobs – it is about protecting the futures of young people who rely on the Skills Academy. The planned cuts will remove a vital pathway for learners who may otherwise disengage from education entirely.
There has been a lack of transparency throughout this process. We are calling on ETC to listen to staff, students, and the wider community and urgently rethink this damaging decision.
We must stand together to protect the Skills Academy, safeguard jobs, and ensure vulnerable young people in our region continue to have access to the specialist education they deserve.