Consultation launched on future of post-16 education

Nation.Cymru staff

Learners, parents, carers and employers are being invited to help shape the future of post-16 education in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan through a new consultation.

Cardiff Council has commissioned independent research company Wavehill to carry out the consultation, which is being funded through the Welsh Government’s Medr Strategic Development Fund. Medr is the body responsible for planning and funding tertiary education and research in Wales.

The feedback will help inform how post-16 education is planned, communicated and delivered across the region.

The consultation forms part of a wider partnership between Cardiff Council, the Vale of Glamorgan Council, Cardiff and Vale College and St David’s Catholic College, which has secured £566,000 from Medr to improve post-16 education across the two local authority areas.

It will gather views on the options available to young people after Year 11, including school sixth forms, further education colleges and vocational training.

According to the partners, the findings will be used to identify opportunities for greater collaboration between education providers, improve access to a wider range of learning pathways – including Welsh-medium provision – better align education with employers’ skills needs and explore the creation of a bilingual digital platform bringing together information on post-16 options.

The long-term aim is to improve learner outcomes, widen participation and create more flexible progression routes.

Cardiff Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Education, Cllr Sarah Merry, said: “This important work builds on the significant investment we have secured through Medr to reshape post-16 education across Cardiff and the Vale.

“We want to create a system that is inclusive, easy to navigate and truly centred on the needs and aspirations of learners.

“Hearing directly from young people, parents, carers and employers is vital to this, so I would strongly encourage everyone to take part in the survey and help shape future provision.”

The survey takes around 15 minutes to complete, is available in Welsh and English, and responses will be anonymous.

Separate questionnaires are available for pupils in Years 10 and 11, post-16 learners, parents and carers, Cardiff and Vale College students aged 16 to 19, and employers.