MS, Minister for Further and
Higher Education: As a government we have made it clear that our
continued focus is on raising standards in our schools and
colleges; expanding opportunities for learners; improving greater
participation in tertiary education and training; and supporting
a genuine commitment to encourage all age learning.
The continued dedication and on-going commitment of our tertiary
education workforce is critical to achieving these aims. Driving
forward the professionalisation of the tertiary workforce,
ensuring parity while acknowledging the sector's diverse teaching
roles, is fundamental to shaping a robust and future-focussed
Tertiary Education Workforce Framework.
On 21 January I published The Future of
Tertiary Education in Wales evidence paper,
which sets out the challenges facing further and higher education
in Wales and calls for submissions. It invites the post-16
education sector to help build the evidence base that will inform
and address five key challenges. These challenges have
implications for the workforce, and I welcome responses to the
questions posed from employers, the tertiary education workforce
and its representative bodies.
It is more important than ever, that the sector comes together to
support the recruitment and retention of highly skilled, agile
and committed individuals to enter the post compulsory workforce,
and in partnership with Medr, our stakeholders and employers we
will further develop the professionalisation of the tertiary
workforce.
Last spring I asked officials to establish an Initial Teacher
Education (ITE) for post compulsory Education and Training
Advisory Group, chaired by Dafydd Evans, former Principal
of Grŵp Llandrillo Menai.
The Group, with membership drawn from our partner organisations,
has been tasked with building on work previously undertaken to
explore the opportunities and challenges in the delivery of ITE.
This includes developing a unifying vision on the future of ITE
for the post compulsory sector and how better, more targeted
support, might be made available to student teachers entering the
profession during their training and in their early years of
teaching.
The Advisory Group has shared its findings with me and today I
welcomed the opportunity to meet with members to hear first-hand
their observations on what future policy development might be
required to enable change in the delivery of ITE, to ensure a
coherent, managed approach to support the workforce.
Common themes emerging from the work of the Group and its
sub-groups include the development of a unifying vision for the
delivery of ITE; the development, via a formal co-ordinating
network, of a common core curriculum which better reflects
societal change and recognises the contemporary issues teachers
face in the delivery of teaching and learning today; and
exploration and analysis of the induction and mentoring support
newly qualified teachers require, together with training for
mentoring staff.
While this work is at an early stage of development a phased
approach to implementing change is being developed to effect and
embed meaningful and long-term improvements.
The Advisory Group will continue to provide advice to help inform
future Government policy decisions to support the recruitment and
retention of new teachers and complement the work to design a
strategic tertiary education workforce framework. This work will
be developed in full and open consultation with Medr and our
partner stakeholders taking a pragmatic, collegiate
approach.
I want to take this opportunity to thank the Advisory Group
members for their input to date. Further updates will be provided
as the work evolves.
