2021
New International Learning Exchange programme
On 21 March 2021 the Welsh Government announced a new international learning exchange programme, which will enable learners and staff, both from Wales and those who come to study or work in Wales, to benefit from international exchanges.
The new scheme – which will run from 2022 to 2026 - will be supported by an investment of £65m from the Welsh Government.
The Programme will provide funding to enable students, staff and learners across universities, Further Education and Vocational Education and Training, Adult Education, youth work settings and schools to undertake a period of structured learning or work experience overseas, as well as enabling strategic partnerships.
Response to the Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Bill consultation
In February 2021, the Minister for Education published her summary of responses to the draft Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Bill consultation. The draft Bill set out our proposals to create the new Commission that would replace the current Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW), and have the tools to ensure a strong mutual relationship between citizens, communities, researchers and providers.
Additional funding to support university students impacted by Covid-19
On 18 January 2021, the Welsh Government announced an additional £40m(€46.8 million*) for universities to support students facing financial hardship, helping the students most affected by the pandemic with expenses such as accommodation costs. Universities were asked to prioritise funding towards the most vulnerable students, as well as strengthening advice and support services for students.
*Exchange rate used: €1 = £0.85, ECB, 30 March 2021.
2020
Additional support for Welsh universities, colleges and students
In July 2020 the Welsh Government announced additional funding of more than £50 million (€56 million) to support Welsh universities, colleges and students. The support is part of the Welsh Government’s actions to support students and Wales’ major education institutions and provide the skills and learning in response to the economic impact of the Coronavirus pandemic. £27 million (€30.3 million*) will be provided to higher education institutions, with £23 million (€25.8 million*) to support students in further education colleges and sixth-form.
*Exchange rate used: €1 = £0.89, ECB, 03 September 2020.
International Strategy for Wales
In January 2020, the Welsh Government published the International Strategy for Wales, setting out its approach to international engagement and detailing how it aims to ensure that Wales increases its international influence during the next five years.
The Strategy contains three core ambitions, each of which has implications for education:
- Raise Wales’ profile on the international stage
The Strategy supports international research collaboration and encourages alumni from Welsh universities and colleges to spread the message on their return home about their experiences in Wales. It asks the higher education sector to help in growing the number of international connections with diaspora and alumni to 500,000 within five years.
- Grow the Welsh economy by increasing exports and attracting inward investment
The Strategy confirms that the Welsh Government will work with higher education institutions to increase the number of international students studying in Wales, the source of more than £600m (€650,83*) in export earnings to the Welsh economy. It will also seek to develop the growing market for study in Wales by students from South East Asia; and seek the UK’s continued participation in Erasmus+ and Horizon 2020, and any successor programmes.
- Establish Wales as a globally responsible nation.
The new Curriculum for Wales and the Welsh Baccalaureate will develop students as ethical, informed citizens dedicated to promoting global citizenship. The curriculum will equip students with the skills to compete in the global economy, including modern languages, and the Welsh Government will explore the feasibility of teaching Mandarin in secondary schools.
*Exchange rate used: €1 = £0.92, ECB, 18 March 2020.
2019
Tertiary Education and Research Commission
In August 2019, the Welsh Government confirmed that the new Tertiary Education and Research Commission for Wales will, subject to legislation, be established as an independent Welsh Government sponsored body by 2023. The Commission aims to strengthen national and regional planning, reinforce the link between research and education, and deliver an improved post-compulsory education and training system. It will be:
- the regulator for both higher education (HE) and further education (FE) institutions and the primary funder of HE and FE provision
- responsible for apprenticeships, adult learning, and schools-based post-compulsory education and training (PCET), delivered through local authorities
- responsible for Welsh Government-funded research and innovation in the PCET sector.
Previously, a consultation launched in 2017, sought views on proposals to create the Commission, which would operate at arm’s length from the Welsh Government. The White Paper, Public Good and a Prosperous Wales: Building a reformed PCET system proposed that the Commission would be given responsibility for planning; funding; contracting; ensuring quality; financial monitoring; audit; performance; risk; and leading on research funding. The current functions of the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales would be transferred to the new authority.
The consultation formed part of the Welsh Government’s response to Professor Ellen Hazelkorn’s March 2016 report, Towards 2030: a Framework for Building a World-class Post-Compulsory Education System in Wales. The report was commissioned to examine issues such as the growing complexity, duplication and provision gaps across post-compulsory education and training. It considered how to better align governance and funding arrangements, ensuring a learner-focused system that enhances educational and career opportunities.
The consultation closed in October 2017 and the Welsh Government published a summary of responses in December 2017.
A second consultation, which ran from 24 April 2018 to 17 July 2018, developed some of the ideas in the White Paper and explained in more detail how the new Commission might operate.
In January 2020, the Minister for Education confirmed that legislation to enable the establishment of the new Commission will be introduced later in 2020. The body will now be known as the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research (CTER). The Minister also indicated that CTER will have a wider remit than the present Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) which it will replace, and that the Welsh Government will require it to facilitate collaboration between providers across the post-16 sector. The aim is, through the CTER, to create a framework for a more integrated system of further and higher education and apprenticeships, with clear routes into higher level learning and employment.
Degree apprenticeships
In March 2019, the Welsh Government launched a pilot degree apprenticeship scheme in Wales, supported by £20 million (€23.3 million*) of funding.
The university-run scheme will be fully funded by the Welsh Government, with all students’ fees paid for. Courses will be available in key sectors for economic growth identified by the Government, including IT, engineering and advanced manufacturing. The funding will be managed by the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW).
Degree apprenticeships are designed by employers, universities and professional bodies and deliver high-tech and high-level skills, offering an alternative to a traditional degree course. Degree apprentices spend part of their time at a higher education institution (HEI) and part (30 hours per week) working with their employer, who invests in their training. They fit their study around the work commitment through flexible learning modes, such as day or block release, distance learning, or blended learning, and receive a first degree during the course of the apprenticeship.
Further information on degree apprenticeships is available from UCAS.
*Exchange rate used: €1 = £0.86, ECB, 18 March 2019.
Implementation of TEF
See the item in ‘National Reforms in Higher Education’ (England).
2018
UK Quality Code for Higher Education revised
In November 2018, the revision of the UK Quality Code for Higher Education was finalised. This followed a consultation which ran between October and December 2017, coordinated by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) on behalf of the UK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment (UKSCQA).
The UK Quality Code for Higher Education is the definitive reference point for all UK higher education providers, though use of the Quality Code documentation itself is voluntary. The Code, which is produced and maintained by the QAA, makes clear what higher education providers are required to do, what they can expect of each other, and what students and the general public can expect of them. It covers all four nations of the UK (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales).
The redevelopment was intended to:
- allow the Code to be agile and responsive
- respond to regulatory change and the diversifying UK higher education landscape
- place students at the heart of the Code
- reflect sector views on how the Code can best serve a changing sector.
The revised Code is based on three elements:
- Expectations, which clearly and succinctly express the outcomes providers should achieve in setting and maintaining the standards of their awards, and for managing the quality of their provision.
- Practices, representing effective ways of working that underpin the delivery of the expectations and will deliver positive outcomes for students. These include:
- core practices that must be demonstrated by all UK higher education providers as part of assuring their standards and quality
- common practices that will be applied by providers in line with their missions, their regulatory context and the needs of their students. These are practices common to the underpinning of quality in all UK providers
- Advice and guidance, which will help established and new providers alike to develop and maintain effective quality assurance practices.
Quality Assessment Framework for Wales
The Quality Assessment Framework for Wales, which assures the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) of the quality of education at higher education (HE) providers in Wales, was published in March 2018. It is underpinned by a set of baseline regulatory requirements, which align with those in England and Northern Ireland. The baseline regulatory requirements were piloted in 2016/17, with 2017/18 as a developmental year, before full introduction in 2018/19.
The key features of the new Quality Assessment Framework for Wales are:
- the removal of cyclical funding body-commissioned peer review visits to re-test baseline quality requirements for established providers
- the re-shaping of a provider’s own review processes to ensure that these are focused on improving student outcomes and the student academic experience
- placing greater emphasis on the role of governing bodies for providing assurances about quality and standards matters
- the more systematic use of student and other data by funding and regulatory bodies to monitor the performance of providers
- the use of existing funding and regulatory body assurance mechanisms.
HEFCW will keep the Quality Assessment Framework under review. This will include taking account of UK-wide developments in relation to quality, where they have an impact on HEFCW’s regulatory role. This will enable evaluation of whether:
- the Framework meets the needs of Wales
- any changes are required
- there should be an increased focus on continuous improvement
- elements of the Framework need to be adapted as a result of the implementation of the revised UK Quality Code and the regulatory framework in England
- elements of best practice could be incorporated into the Framework.
The first review of the Quality Assessment Framework took place towards the end of 2018/19, with revisions made in July 2019.
Article last reviewed March 2021.