A funding crisis in further education colleges across Bradford district could see courses closed and lecturers’ jobs at risk, a leading union has warned.

The University and College Union (UCU) membership at Bradford College is set to take industrial action after it was announced that almost 100 jobs might go.

Government funding cuts have left the college needing to save about £3 million and it might have to turn students away because of an expected £1m shortfall in funding for adult education courses.

Steve Wilkinson, Bradford branch UCU president said it would be moving to a formal trade dispute with employers at Bradford College today after speaking to staff left “shell shocked” at the prospect of redundancy.

Julie Kelly, UCU regional official for the north of England, who met principal Michele Sutton yesterday, criticised plans for staff redundancies to create savings of £1.2m as a buffer against future cuts.

“Cutting jobs to be able to create profits and a surplus for a public body is unacceptable,” she said. “We are very, very disappointed that the college is talking to its staff about the possibility of redundancies and we are keen to ensure that there is not the need to resort to compulsory redundancies.”

Jobs are also at risk at Shipley College, where bosses have called for voluntary redundancies among staff.

Shipley College is also cutting the hours and increasing the cost of some adult courses it runs.

Leeds City College, which has a base in Keighley, failed to respond when contacted by the Telegraph & Argus.

Mrs Kelly said the cutbacks in adult education would affect school-leavers hoping to start themselves off in a career as well as older adults wanting to re-train and gain new skills after losing their jobs.

“It will mean that a lot of people who are looking to go into further education who have not had previous training or earned qualifications will not be given a second chance,” she said.

Mrs Sutton said Bradford College would have to shed 95 jobs but said she hoped that could be achieved through voluntary redundancies and natural turnover of staff.

She said: “We hope that any areas where there are potential redundancies identified we will be able to work more closely and offer either voluntary redundancy, re-training or re-deployment.

“But if it gets to the stage where we can’t make the savings, at that point we will consider compulsory redundancy – we really do not wish to be in that position.”

Mrs Sutton said about 50 people had so far come forward for voluntary redundancy and, following consultation with programme leaders, it was hoped the quality of education at the college would not be affected.

But she warned students applying for adult and higher education courses might have to be turned away.

She said: “Fortunately we are to continue the growth in the 16 to 18-year-old provision.

“Unfortunately, obviously if we get £1m worth of cuts in adult education, we have to look very carefully at those numbers, so inevitably we will be in the position of looking at turning people away in adult education and higher education.”

Mr Wilkinson said: “Staff have been left shellshocked by this. We went through a trawl four years ago when 122 people lost their jobs through voluntary redundancy and there will not be many left if there are another 95 redundancies.”