SIGNIFICANT funding cuts mean 35 job posts will be lost at North Hertfordshire College (NHC).

The college, which has campuses in Stevenage, Letchworth GC and Hitchin, has carried out a sixth-month spending review following a funding reduction within the 16 to 19 education sector, resulting in the need to make redundancies.

The college anticipates that 7.5 teaching posts and 28 support staff posts will be axed.

While the college is reducing staff in some areas, other areas are expanding. An anticipated 45 new posts will be created from a restructure, which staff will have the opportunity to apply for.

College principal Signe Sutherland said: “It is always challenging when the college needs to reduce its cost base in order to move forward.

“We have been working and remodelling the consequences of the significant funding reduction and changes in the 16 to 19 programme provision. While we are making reductions in some areas we are simultaneously growing in others.

“Funding changes in the sector have affected the majority of further education colleges across the UK and North Hertfordshire College is thankful to be able to limit the number of staff redundancies, in comparison to other establishments.”