NUS Wales FE strategy

NUS Wales has recently launched its new strategy for Further Education in Wales and is now welcoming a debate on its content.

NUS Wales is calling for 10 key changes:

For a copy of Further education in Wales: A new vision for a new future, please click here.

1. Further education in Wales should be an integral spoke in the wheel of lifelong learning through the development of an integrated education system based on more collaboration and consortia such as Heads of the Valleys.
2. Further education student unions should be given the financial and practical support from their parent institution to assist in the delivery of student representation.
3. Colleges in Wales should be autonomous institutions that are accountable to the Welsh Assembly Government for the delivery of national strategic goals. These strategic goals should be set in conjunction with sector stakeholders - including students, college representatives, representatives from higher education and schools, and employers - and be a requirement of public funding;
4. Colleges in Wales should be encouraged to work in partnership with local and national businesses to facilitate and promote entrepreneurship among their students, develop work experience opportunities, encourage financial contributions and support the transition to the job market;
5. Colleges should be supported both financially and practically to fully embed student representation structures and learner voice strategies so that students are able to influence and shape their own learning;
6. Public funding of the further and higher education sectors should be brought under one organisation by 2025. This will facilitate cross sector working, achieve greater cost efficiencies, and enable easier student transitions between further and higher education;
7. Quality assurance and standards should be made more accessible to learners in order to aid engagement and should be homogenised between 6^th forms, further and higher education to ensure a natural progression and identify underlying themes;
8. Quality enhancement mechanisms should be more focussed on the views of the learner in order to promote engagement and develop a sense of  ownership;
9. The Welsh Assembly Government should create a widening access unit dedicated to the implementation of a comprehensive strategy to facilitate entry at all levels of the education sector of those learners who are currently facing barriers to their development, and to ensure support throughout their period of studies;
10. Welsh-medium education provision should be encouraged and developed throughout the FE sector in line with the Welsh Assembly Government new Welsh-medium education strategy.

Lleu Williams, NUS Wales Deputy President said:

"NUS Wales has a vision that the FE sector in Wales should be leading the way in the promotion of an education environment built on openness and inclusiveness, delivered through best practice, in order for Wales' FE sector to be a healthy and successful one. We are now calling for a better funded sector, with excellent communication and representation mechanisms for learners. We believe that it is through better cross sector working that we will ensure a great future for the people of Wales and its economy"

Party conferences

NUS Wales will be attending all four party conferences in Wales and will be running joint fringe events with ColegauCymru/CollegesWales, the body that represents colleges in Wales.

We would like to invite you to join us for our fringe events and contribute to the debate on the future of Further Education in Wales.

Welsh Liberal Democrats – 6^th of February at 11.40, Grand Circle Bar – Grand Theatre, Swansea. Speaker: Jenny Randerson, AM.

Plaid Cymru – 20^th of February at 4.30, Premier Suite, 2^nd floor National Cricket Centre, Swalec Stadium, Cardiff. Speaker: Janet Ryder, AM.

Welsh Labour – 28^th of February at 12.30, Committee Room 5, Brangwyn Hall, Swansea. Speaker: Andrew Davies, AM.

Welsh Conservatives – 6^th of March at 1.35, Venue Cymru, Llandudno. Speaker: Paul Davies, AM.