IOL CEO Andy Robinson on ITV Border News on the devastation of restrictions for outdoor education
On ITV Border News yesterday, IOL CEO Andy Robinson highlighted the devastation that remaining closed, and with no financial support, amid Covid-19 restrictions is having on the outdoor education sector.
The Department for Education has listened to the Campaign to Save Outdoor Education and decided it can't allow residential visits based on scientific evidence. It'll review in Februrary and look towards a reopening at Easter. That clarity has been welcomed by many but it isn't the news they were hoping for.
Residentials are for many their bread and butter and without the lion's share of their business for 13 months many are expected to make 20-30% of staff redundant, some more. Some may go under.
The Government says it's offering businesses unprecedented financial support but the SaveOutdoorEd campaign says 15,000 jobs are at risk across the country with 6,000 expected to be made redundant by the end of the year. That doesn't even count all the freelance instructors who've been out of work since March. But behind those numbers are individual stories.... film report link...