news and events

We are here to take your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you'd like to speak to someone for support or advice, call us on 08000 32 99 52.

So far in May we've answered over 76 calls to our Support Lines. Here are the top issues for our callers in May:

A recent report has highlighted what a lot of you already know, that staff in higher education feel dissatisfied with their jobs and careers and are stressed at work.

Issues relating to stress at wok, poor wellbeing and low status are well documented in the pre 16 education sector but we know from the contact we have with post 16 workers that these issues have existed in this sector for a long time.

This year we will again be attending the UCU Congress at the GMex Conference Centre in Manchester.

As well as having a stand where you can come along and meet us, find out all about the services we offer and how you can support us, we are also holding a quiz night and fringe event.

Our quiz night will take place on Sunday 30th May in the Trafford Suite of the Midland Hotel from 9pm. Come along and test your knowledge, have a drink and support us as we work to provide vital free, confidential services to the adult, FE and HE workforce.

Strikes at 11 colleges and three universities took place yesterday as staff concerns about cuts came to the fore. UCU General Secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'We believe in the power of education to make a real difference to people's lives and do not think we should be slashing funding at a time when more people than ever need access to education.'

Over 400 factsheets have been viewed in the last month, with a real mix of topics in the top five. Money worries feature highly, along with workload and work-life balance.

This is reflected in the calls to our Support Line this month, with Money issues accounting for over 24 per cent of calls, followed by Working Conditions with just over 20 per cent and Personal issues with 19 per cent.

College and University Support Network is your charity and is here for you. However without your help we would not be able to carry on providing the vital services we offer to those working in adult, further and higher education. We rely on people like you to support us. And there are many ways you can help.

Take part in a challenge event

The University and College Union (UCU) recently reported that it fears a crisis is on the horizon for Universities due to massive government funding cuts. Cuts of £900 million could leave universities facing 'financial meltdown'.

The union estimates that over 14,000 university jobs could be at risk as a result of the planned cuts that will be made over the next three years. It also issued warnings that teachers would face larger class sizes as colleagues lost their jobs.

We know that it can be hard to ask for support but we're here for you when you need us:

'Working Conditions' and 'Personal Issues' are top for callers to the CUSN Support Line this fortnight.

We've taken over 60 calls in the last two weeks with calls on 'Working Conditions' accounting for over 27 per cent. This includes work life balance and organisational management.

The balance between work and life can be difficult to achieve. Even when you've planned ahead and scheduled your time out, even prioritised your 'to do' list, there's always something that crops up to push that balance off course.

While some people respond positively to pressure, problems arise when you start to have concerns about how you will cope.

So there are two elements to addressing stress: reducing the pressures on you and learning to manage them better.

There is no simple way to beat stress, but here are some tips to help you regain control of your life:

Recognise the problem