Vikki Howells
Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr Commissioner · Welsh Labour · Wales
“Thank you, Laura Anne Jones, for your supplementary there. And I would disagree with what you said there; I think the Government has got a really strong track record of investing in STEM.”
“I’d like to thank Julie Morgan for that supplementary question, and I know from my own work as a local MS that when construction projects like this deliver these tangible educational benefits, then it can really help our learners to understand how studying STEM subjects can lead to practical and well-paid career opportunities.”
“Thank you, Cefin. Correspondence, as I'm sure you're aware, is written correspondence. All of my dealings with the universities to date have been through face-to-face meetings and discussions, and I've been really pleased to be able to meet with so many vice-chancellors, Universities Wales, stakeholders from across the sector, and I'll be…”
“But, as I've said before, and as I know the Member is aware, the funding that the Welsh Government provides to our HE institutions comprises 10 per cent of their overall funding, and so it is really important that each and every university looks at the rest of their funding streams.”
“As part of our funding to the Engineering Education Scheme Wales, we're supporting the Girls into STEM initiative, and this is helping to break down barriers, giving girls the opportunity to visit employers and universities, and encouraging them to follow STEM qualification and career pathways.”
“I thank Cefin Campbell for those questions. I will begin by saying that I recognise that our universities, just like universities across the UK and beyond, are under significant financial pressure. I’m working with my officials to consider the impact of the UK Government decision to raise tuition fees by £285 per student per year.”
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“Thank you, Sam, for that supplementary question. I absolutely agree with everything you said there. It's so important that we don't just look at these skill sets, but at how they can enable our young people to stay in the communities that they are born and raised in and to have a positive impact on those local economies. And that's exactly the kind of cross-cutting work that I'm looking into with the Minister for skills, and I'd be delighted to receive more information about that project. I look forward to finding out more and hopefully visiting in the future.”
“As part of our funding to the Engineering Education Scheme Wales, we're supporting the Girls into STEM initiative, and this is helping to break down barriers, giving girls the opportunity to visit employers and universities, and encouraging them to follow STEM qualification and career pathways. In the last financial year, 390 girls were involved in the Girls into STEM initiative, visiting a range of industry partners. And you'll be aware, Joyce Watson, that, on Tuesday, the Cabinet Secretary announced as part of her oral statement additional investment in the Engineering Education Scheme Wales, including to further enhance the Girls into STEM initiative. That brings our total investment in this work to £196,000 in this year alone.”
“Dirprwy Lywydd, I'd like to thank Joyce Watson for that supplementary question, and I absolutely agree with her about the importance of initiatives like that. And, in fact, I'm undertaking a joint visit to Pembrokeshire College in just two weeks' time with the Cabinet Secretary for economy, so I really look forward to hearing more about this work when I'm there. Building partnerships between schools and industry can inspire our young girls to follow their passion for STEM subjects, and, of course, that can lead them to rewarding and fulfilling careers.”
“We want to ensure all our young people are able to positively engage with a world increasingly driven by technological and digital innovation. This financial year, the Welsh Government is providing over £1.6 million for STEM activities in schools, with a focus on encouraging girls into STEM qualifications and careers.”
“But, as I've said before, and as I know the Member is aware, the funding that the Welsh Government provides to our HE institutions comprises 10 per cent of their overall funding, and so it is really important that each and every university looks at the rest of their funding streams. And I know that that is exactly what they are doing—exploring innovative ways of working, greater collaboration with the FE sector in particular, which can only be of benefit, so that they can explore ways that they can cut costs and meet these challenging opportunities. The Welsh Government's Digarbon fund, that I mentioned here previously, has had £33 million-worth of applications from our HE institutions, and that shows just one way in which they are exploring different ways to cut costs and to make those savings.”
“Thank you, Cefin. Correspondence, as I'm sure you're aware, is written correspondence. All of my dealings with the universities to date have been through face-to-face meetings and discussions, and I've been really pleased to be able to meet with so many vice-chancellors, Universities Wales, stakeholders from across the sector, and I'll be continuing to do that as I tour each and every higher education institution in Wales. And I explained to the Senedd that the Welsh Government is continuing to explore what, if any, potential support mechanisms are feasible to support the higher education sector in Wales. Those discussions, as I've outlined twice, both in writing and here on the floor of this Chamber, are at an early and exploratory stage and will need to be considered in the context of our wider budget priorities.”
“Thank you, Cefin Campbell, for the question. I acknowledge that the Chancellor's announcements of changes to employer national insurance contributions from April next year will increase costs for our universities, and I'm currently working with my officials with the affected sectors to understand the scope of these new costs. We're considering the impact of employer national insurance contributions on all public sector employers and public sector services in Wales, and I look forward to being able to provide an update in due course.”
“I can confirm today that all Welsh students on courses at regulated institutions will have the full cost of their undergraduate tuition fees met by the Welsh Government through the student finance system, whether they choose to study in Wales or elsewhere in the UK. This continues our long-standing policy of no Welsh student paying upfront costs for their undergraduate tuition. Dirprwy Lywydd, I’m not sure if the Member asked all his three questions in one go.”
“I thank Cefin Campbell for those questions. I will begin by saying that I recognise that our universities, just like universities across the UK and beyond, are under significant financial pressure. I’m working with my officials to consider the impact of the UK Government decision to raise tuition fees by £285 per student per year. I think it’s important to look at the impact of that, both on the higher education sector and on students. I want to make a decision on that swiftly, with an informed evidence base, so that we can provide certainty both to the universities and to the students themselves.”
“Thank you, Laura Anne Jones, for your supplementary there. And I would disagree with what you said there; I think the Government has got a really strong track record of investing in STEM. A £1.6 million commitment will reach across the STEM portfolio to deliver a range of enrichment activities, and also professional learning opportunities for teachers, because that’s important too, all encouraging the take-up of STEM subjects at GCSE and A-level. And, of course, that additional £1.1 million that was announced this year will improve attainment in literacy, maths and science as well. I'd just like to pick up on the point you raised there about science. It has been proven through stakeholder engagement and through all of the professional channels that there is no dumbing down of the science qualifications here in Wales.”
“I’d like to thank Julie Morgan for that supplementary question, and I know from my own work as a local MS that when construction projects like this deliver these tangible educational benefits, then it can really help our learners to understand how studying STEM subjects can lead to practical and well-paid career opportunities. And I would add as well that I’m also working closely with the Minister for skills, because this is a cross-cutting area, and one of the key things that we’re working on is to agree how best to progress some of the recommendations made by Hefin David MS in his report on transitions to employment, which of course emphasised the importance of effective partnerships between our schools, colleges and employers, alongside, of course, the recommendations made in the vocational qualifications review.”
“I am committed to ensuring equality of opportunity, encouraging a culture of science literacy and learner progression. We provide support from nursery to higher education and beyond, prioritising STEM across the Curriculum for Wales, pledging £1.6 million for STEM enrichment activities, and promoting initiatives such as the science education scheme Wales.”
“I'm grateful to the Chair of the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee for participating in today's debate. I call on Members to approve this package of statutory instruments to enable Medr and the Welsh Government to continue to work with the tertiary education sector in Wales to deliver these important reforms.”
“I will be making further regulations to support the implementation of the registration system over the coming year and look forward to working with Medr, stakeholders and Members as this work progresses. I ask Members to approve these regulations today.”
“Both of these statutory instruments have been informed by consultation completed earlier this year. In developing these regulations, a key principle has been maintaining a balance between delivering a robust legislative framework and affording Medr the discretion and flexibility to develop, in partnership with the sector, a regulatory regime that supports providers, protects the interests of students and Welsh taxpayers, and maintains the reputation of higher education in Wales. I would like to thank the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee for their diligent work in reviewing these regulations and can confirm that the changes recommended to the designation regulations have been made in readiness for making, subject of course to their being approved by Members today.”
“Providers registered in the core or alternative category will be subject to conditions in respect of the information they provide to prospective students, their courses and their terms and conditions of contracts with students. The regulations also prescribe the minimum information that must be included in a provider’s entry in the register and further circumstances in which the commission must remove a registered provider from a category of the register. The Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Act 2022 (Designation of Providers) Regulations 2024 details the basis on which a provider of tertiary education in Wales who is not an institution can make an application to the Welsh Ministers to be designated as one for the purpose of TERA 2022.”
“The Commission for Tertiary Education and Research (Registration and De-registration of Tertiary Education Providers in Wales) Regulations 2024 will put in place the necessary statutory provisions to enable Medr to continue its work on establishing the register and defining the regulatory regime to apply to registered providers from July 2026. These regulations define the two categories of registration, higher education core and higher education alternative, and specify that providers registered in the core category are eligible to receive financial support from Medr for the purposes of higher education, research or innovation. The regulations also prescribe further initial and mandatory ongoing conditions of registration, with providers who wish to register in the core category required to have charitable status.”
“Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I move the motion. Part 2 of the Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Act 2022 provides for a registration system that will provide the legal mechanisms for regulatory oversight of registered tertiary education providers in Wales in receipt of public funds. The registration system will enable the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research, known as Medr, to effectively regulate our diverse sector through a flexible mechanism for proportionate and accountable regulation of higher education in Wales.”