Sean Bean’s battle cry: ‘I despair at the state of further education’
The actor joins chef Ainsley Harriott and David Blunkett in fight to save colleges from threat of funding cuts
It was after peeking into a drama class at Rotherham College of Arts and Technology that Sean Bean, then a welding apprentice on day release, was drawn to the arts. The actor, who trained in further education before going on to star in Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, is today calling for better protection for colleges such as that in Rotherham.
Funding for further education (FE) colleges has been reduced by 14% over the past five years, forcing principals to increase class sizes and cut courses. Although further education escaped additional cuts in the spending review, the financial situation is bleak and the government is now looking at reducing the number of colleges. It is feared that as many as 50 of England’s 335 colleges could disappear.
Speaking to the Observer, Bean said many of the opportunities he benefited from as a student are not open to today’s young people. “I despair at the political and education situation now,” he said. “People had faith in me and I had great teachers and everything seemed to be geared up for the pursuit of excellence in whatever field that was. Maybe I wouldn’t have had those opportunities today.”
Bean left school to become an apprentice in the steel works, but switched to art and later drama – after being inspired by other students. “I really got my money’s worth from colleges in Sheffield and Rotherham because I kept dropping out and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do at first, like a lot of teenagers. But when I saw the other students discussing plays and looking very excited and flamboyant and different, I was attracted to that. I wanted to be a part of it.”
Encouraged by his drama teacher and with a scholarship from Sheffield council, he went on to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. But students starting out today face a more precarious funding environment, he said, and many are automatically steered towards traditional academic subjects, even if they have other talents. Vocational routes, along with the arts, are undervalued and underfunded, he a
“Although I didn’t pursue that career [in welding], it had a beneficial effect on me, in terms of learning about perseverance. When I was an apprentice plater I was put under the wing of a great tradesman called Alan Lacey. He taught me skills I still use now: I can put things together and use my imagination. Apprenticeships are the real nitty-gritty way of creating an efficient, skilful and vibrant workforce.”
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