Vikki Howells, Minister for Further and Higher Education
Yesterday I was pleased to meet with Vice Chancellors from universities across Wales as part of the Welsh Government's commitment to ensuring regular, robust, and proactive engagement with the higher education sector.
Reforming the tertiary education system to ensure it continues to offer learners a rich, diverse, and high-quality experience whilst safeguarding its long-term sustainability is my key priority.
Yesterday’s roundtable continued the discussion on how the Welsh Government, Medr, and the sector work together to deliver transformational change. We were joined by representatives from Universities Wales and Medr.
I am already undertaking an evaluation of the Diamond Reforms to Higher Education student finance, the plan for which was published on 2 July Diamond reforms to student finance: evaluation plan 2024 | GOV.WALES. The aim of the research is to provide evidence relating to widening access to higher education, strengthening part-time provision, and strengthening postgraduate provision. I will ensure that stakeholders have the opportunity to engage and input into this research. My officials will be holding a workshop with higher education stakeholders in the autumn.
Enabling and encouraging collaboration is another of my priority areas and is essential to ensuring that there is appropriate provision across Wales. To that end, there were updates on two areas of activity identified at the last roundtable.
Firstly, I tasked Medr and my officials with working with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on potential ways forward to support collaboration. As a result of the productive engagement with the CMA by my officials, UK Government and Medr working together we were able to discuss the benefits and barriers in detail, including the recent announcement from the CMA which set out examples of where providers can confidently collaborate. It was also helpful to receive an update from Universities Wales on its work with Universities UK on the ‘Transformation and Efficiency Taskforce Report: Towards a New Era of Collaboration’.
Secondly, I requested that Medr undertake a review of Higher Education demand, provision, and subject distribution in Wales. I want this work to provide a robust data foundation and enhanced insight into the Higher Education landscape. Medr gave an update on how this work is progressing and a report is expected in the autumn.
It is essential that Medr works closely with the sector, particularly in the areas of governance and risk management. Medr provided an update on key areas of work, including publication of its Strategic Plan and its Operational Plan, which together provide more detail on how it will drive reform. There was also reference to Medr’s consultation on the regulatory regime for tertiary education and the Welsh Government’s consultation on the proposed approach to the automatic designation of higher education courses for the purposes of student support.
I was also pleased to provide a progress update on work to increase participation in all forms of tertiary education, which remains a priority for me.
I have previously set out the priority areas in working with UK Government on their plans for higher education reform. My officials and I are in regular dialogue with the UK Government, and I gave an update on my recent conversations on critical policy areas as they relate to Wales, including the recent White Paper on immigration, the industrial strategy, and plans for post-16 education and skills.
I am mindful that this continues to be a challenging time for the higher education sector in Wales and across the UK, which is unsettling for staff and students. It was essential to have dedicated time during the roundtable to discuss the importance of a social partnership approach and to reaffirm the Welsh Government commitment to these principles.
More than ever, I believe early, continued and supportive engagement with all stakeholders is a fundamental responsibility and I was encouraged to see all our universities and colleges at Medr’s ‘Promoting Collaboration with Trade Unions’conference last week. I look forward to seeing progress across the tertiary system in this area.
We must not lose sight of the bigger picture and wider opportunities. Our universities are crucial to our ambitions for improving public services, growing the economy, promoting research and innovation and enabling the wellbeing of future generations. Fostering links with cross-government priorities, including continuing to support and promote the Welsh language will help enrich our communities and grow the economy.
I am grateful to everyone for making the time to join the meeting and for the open and honest conversation. I look forward to continued engagement across the sector and will provide further updates in the autumn.