THE number of adults going to college in England has plummeted for the third consecutive year as a result of further education funding cuts, the government’s own figures revealed yesterday.

There were 315,900 fewer people aged over 19 taking courses in 2014-15 compared with the previous year, according to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). 

That represents a steep 11 per cent fall in the number of adults in further education in a single year and comes after a 35 per cent funding cut for colleges since the Tories took power.