Further education (FE) Colleges in Wales make a significant and vital contribution to the economy of Wales. Visit any college and you will see a huge range of vocational and other courses taking place, delivered to large numbers of students aged of all ages, attending full-time or part-time and taking subjects varying from pre-entry to postgraduate levels. Local employees may be attending courses to top up their skills. Away from College, specialist staff may be working on employers’ premises.
Considerable investment has equipped classrooms, workshops and salons to a high standard. New buildings in many colleges reflect the education and training needs of the 21st Century.
In 2008/09, 207,000 learners enrolled in Colleges. 79% of these were part-time and 70% were adults aged over 19, many of whom are in work.
Times are changing. As a result of mergers, the number of colleges is likely to have fallen from 25 in 2008 to 19 by 2012. The largest colleges will have a turnover of over £45m. Colleges are working in partnership with schools and universities to deliver exciting new opportunities. In 2008/09, WAG provided over £330m to FE colleges, just over 75% of total income. But funding is tight and, just like private and public sector businesses, colleges are looking to share services and find other ways of cutting costs
Colleges have invested heavily in raising standards. 84% of grades awarded in the past four years by Estyn – the inspectorate in Wales – are either outstanding or good. Student success rates – the proportion of learners who enrol and succeed in obtaining a qualification – have risen from around 40% in 2000/01 to 76% in 2007/08. This is a tough challenge as colleges do not pick and choose their students.
Meeting the skills needs of their locality is central to colleges’ missions. Colleges have links with over 25,000 employers annually, many of which are SMEs. In 2009/10, 21 colleges delivered publicly funded work-based learning (WBL) courses, receiving around £28m from the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG).
Engagement with employers takes three major forms. First, Colleges engage closely with employers in the design, development, management and delivery of learning to improve the ‘work-readiness’ and employability of learners. Secondly, they offer direct services to employers, including training needs analysis and bespoke training services. These courses are often offered as full-cost’ and are not subsidised by WAG. Thirdly, colleges form strategic partnerships with employers, other providers and national/regional agencies to meet the skill needs of local areas.
Colleges have made important contributions to three key WAG programmes. ProAct has provided funding to employers to train employees at risk of being made redundant or moving on to short time working. The ReAct programme enables recently redundant workers to enrol on courses to promote vocational skills. The innovative Pathways to Apprenticeship programme provides the College-based element of an apprenticeship programme for young people unable to find employment.
Leighton Andrews, Minister for Children, Education and Lifelong Learning, acknowledged the key contribution of colleges in his address to the CollegesWales annual conference. He emphasised their central role in raising skills levels and as central partners in addressing the economic downturn.
The second annual report from the Wales Employment and Skills Board (WESB) highlights the importance to employers of ensuring that all people entering the labour market posses appropriate basic skills in literacy, numeracy and Information Technology. It also emphasises the importance of social skills including motivation and the right attitude. Colleges now assess all students enrolling on courses lasting at least five hours per week. They find that basic skills levels are much worse than the official figures – in some cases over 50% of students have literacy and numeracy problems. Colleges are working hard to raise these skills levels. But what have these students have been doing in their 12 years of schooling?
As fears rise of a double dip recession, it is even more crucial that Wales has a skilled workforce – with specific skills and a relevant level of basic and social skills – for employers to draw on as the economy recovers.
External research in Wales and Scotland indicates that FE colleges in Wales contribute just over £2bn per year to the Welsh economy. The funding of colleges needs to be treated as a long term investment in the future of the Welsh economy.
