Colleges and learners need a clear steer from WAG on way ahead

May 1 2008 Western Mail

Fforwm with John Graystone

THERE have been no less than three key consultation documents issued recently which, together, will determine the future direction of further education. They are: Skills that Work for Wales: the Skills and Employment Strategy; the Learning and Skills (Wales) Measure; and a Framework for Intervention.

Fforwm accepts the views put forward in the Skills and Employment Strategy that skills are increasingly vital to the success of people, businesses and communities in Wales. It shares the view set out in the Webb Review that further education colleges have a central role in the delivery of the skills required by employers and the Welsh economy and that colleges should be the regional driver for skills. Raising skills levels can best be delivered in partnership between colleges, employers and other providers.

All skills levels need to be improved, including what Lord Leitch dubbed as “high skills”. We strongly support the positive statements in the Webb Report and more recently by both the Deputy Minister for Skills and the cross-party Enterprise and Learning Committee that foundation degrees should be expanded in Wales. Fforwm urges the Welsh Assembly Government to take firm steps to expand foundation degrees and believes that the powers of FE colleges in England to offer foundation degrees should be extended to Welsh FE colleges.

This arrangement will fit easily with the partnership ethos in Wales and improve partnership working with higher education institutions. The quality of Wales’ colleges certainly suggests they can be trusted with such an important new role: over the past year alone three colleges have received a clean sweep of top grades from Estyn, the HM Inspectorate in Wales.

The Learning and Skills (Wales) Measure seeks to give young people aged 14 and 16 an entitlement to a minimum number of vocational and academic course options. This could bring about significant improvements in opportunity for many young people.

It could help to bridge the academic/vocational divide by making vocational subjects much more accessible to many more learners. The measure emphasises the importance of impartial advice and guidance centred on the needs of the learner.

Fforwm is less convinced about the necessity for the Framework for Intervention which gives Welsh ministers greater intervention powers in FE colleges. These powers will not apply to schools and HE institutions. Last year’s FE and Training Act largely focused on developments in England where some colleges have been under- performing. For some reason, legislation intended for England spilled over to Wales.

It is very surprising a sector which has seen major improvements in Estyn grades – it is unusual for a college these days to receive less than a Grade 1 (excellent) or a Grade 2 (good) – should be subject to such measures. Indeed WAG, as a major provider of funding, already has a range of sanctions at its disposal.

In conclusion, it is unfortunate the Webb Review– which set out a future direction for colleges – is not well reflected in WAG’s recent consultation documents.

We hope the Assembly Government will take account of views put forward. However, the time for consultation is now over. What colleges and their learners now need is a clear steer from WAG on the way ahead.

Consultation must be turned to action. Colleges – the can-do sector – need to know where WAG wants them to go. Once that is clear, colleges will deliver.

John Graystone is fforwm’s chief executive