Further Education in Wales …. present and future Mark Jones Principal Gower College Swansea Chair - ColegauCymru

Further Education in Wales …. present and future  What do we mean by Further Education?  Achievements of the FE sector in recent years.  The priorities going forward.  The risks and challenges to achieving this.

FE Sector  15 FE colleges and FE institutions.  10 FE corporations including St David’s Catholic College.  3 FE colleges part of university groups.  2 designated FE institutions (WEA Cymru and YMCA).

FE colleges and FE institutions in Wales June Bridgend College 2.Cardiff and Vale College 3.Coleg Cambria 4.Coleg Ceredigion 5.Grŵp Llandrillo Menai 6.Coleg Gwent 7.Coleg y Cymoedd 8.Coleg Sir Gâr 9. Gower College Swansea 10. The College Merthyr Tydfil 11.NPTC Group 12.Pembrokeshire College 13. St David's Catholic College 14. WEA Cymru 15.YMCA Community College

What does Further Education do? Vocational A Levels Higher Education Vocational Apprenticeships Traineeships Jobs Growth Wales Adult Community Learning Courses for Employers Knowledge Transfer Partnerships SLDD Students International Students - work ….. and much much more

Quality and standards

Impact of Mergers on College Size Turnover £m No. Colleges July 2009 No. Colleges after mergers Jan Total 25 15

DfES Funding:2007/08 – 2015/16 in cash and real terms

Post 16 Learner Voice Wales Survey 2014 Completed by 37,917 FE learners (49.1%)  78% of learners rated their college as very good or good.  81% of learners rated the quality of teaching and learning as very good or good.  87% of learners said that their course was better than or about what they expected.

Other achievements in recent years  Delivery of a common contract.  High performance e.g. progress on to Oxbridge.  Support for the new HE Bill.  Responding effectively to Welsh Government policies and strategies.

“I witnessed a flexible and cohesive FE sector determined to deliver”. Huw Lewis Minister for Education & Skills Priorities Letter May 2014 “The FE sector in Wales has been instrumental in delivering a range of key policies for the Welsh Government and will continue to play a key part in meeting the education and skills needs of the population.” “Time and again the sector has proved that it is signed up for change. It demonstrates to the rest of the UK what the Welsh FE sector can achieve when it puts its mind to something.” Ken Skates Deputy Minister for Skills & Technology Colegau Cymru Conference May 2014 Quotations

Priorities for the FE Sector 2015/16 1.Tackling poverty agenda. 2.Literacy and numeracy. 3.Learner progression and support. 4.Employer engagement and enterprise. 5.Developing Welsh medium provision.

Other Priorities 2015/16  Ensure the continued delivery of Adult Community Learning.  Develop the use of e-learning.  Deliver further efficiency gains through working collaboratively.  Work with Regional Education Consortia.  Add value to the culture of transparency and collaboration in the post 16 sector.

Also on “the to do list” for FE Colleges  Continue to improve quality outcomes.  Continue to balance the budget.  Develop new and innovative partnerships.  Improve data on destinations of FE students.  Continue to develop a Welsh ethos – to complement the additional Welsh medium provision.

Risks and Challenges Funding  Central funding.  Pay parity.  Co-investment.  Transport Increasing Demand  Literacy/Numeracy.  SLDD.  ACL.  Demographics.

15 – 19 Population of Wales

20 + Population of Wales

Risks and Challenges (cont’d) Partnerships  Schools.  Local Authorities.  Higher Education Institutions Further Sector Changes  Qualifications.  Higher Education Review.  Williams Report.

Further Education in Wales …. present and future Mark Jones Principal Gower College Swansea Chair - ColegauCymru