22 Mawrth 2011

Future-proofing Further Education

The Independent Review of Governance Arrangements for Further Education Institutions in Wales has published a thought provoking report that contains a number of sound recommendations as well as some challenging recommendations that will now be consulted upon.

The Review team was given the task of considering how the governance of FE colleges could address economic, social and demographic challenges, as well as structural changes to the post-16 education sector being driven by the Welsh Assembly Government.

Chief Executive of ColegauCymru / CollegesWales, John Graystone, said: “I am delighted that the report recognises colleges’ central role in promoting economic prosperity and social justice. The report praises colleges on their high level of performance over recent years.  It makes it clear that the purpose of the review was not to question the high performance of colleges, but rather to future-proof their governance structures in a changing external environment. 

“The Welsh Assembly Government and the review have concluded that colleges have responded well to the Welsh Assembly Government’s strategy to transform the post-16 education landscape.  The review attempted to enable governance structures to catch up with this evolution of larger colleges which are working in a large number of formal collaborations.

“Taken as a whole, the report is interesting and stimulating. It includes sound recommendations that we look forward to putting into practice. It also includes some possibly controversial recommendations that will be challenging to implement and raises some important questions.

“The principles, practicality and detail within the recommendations will need to be given full consideration. We are therefore pleased that the Welsh Assembly Government has today announced that there will be a period of consultation before it decides which of the Review’s recommendations will be taken forward.

“Colleges are looking forward to playing a positive and constructive role in the forthcoming consultation period.”

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Contact: Sylvia Davies on 029 2052 8384 or 07968 771913.

Notes to editors:

1. ColegauCymru / CollegesWales is the new name for fforwm. It is a national educational charity that represents all 21 further education (FE) colleges and institutions in Wales. Its mission is to raise the profile of further education with key decision-makers to improve opportunities for learners in Wales. For further information about ColegauCymru / CollegesWales, and the colleges it represents, visit www.colegaucymru.ac.uk or www.collegeswales.ac.uk
2. The Independent Review of Governance Arrangements for Further Education Institutions in Wales was commissioned by the Welsh Assembly Government and conducted by an independent task and finish group which was Chaired by Mr Rob Humphreys, Director for Wales at the Open University. A copy of the report of the Review is available from: http://new.wales.gov.uk/topics/educationandskills/publications/wagreviews/fegovreview/?lang=en
3. In a Ministerial Statement issued to accompany the report, Leighton Andrews, the Minister for Children, Education and Lifelong Learning, said: “The recommendations within this report will now be subject to formal public consultation which will commence on 28 March 2011 and will be published on the Assembly Government’s website.  The consultation will last for 3 months and decisions on the recommendations will be made after the consultation period has ended. Until this time, it is not possible for me to pre-empt which recommendations will be taken forward.”