In August 2024, Wales will embark on an ambitious journey to transform its post-16 education landscape. The newly formed Medr (Welsh for ‘skill’), also known as the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research (CTER), aims to bring Wales’ further education colleges, higher education institutions, sixth-form colleges, adult learning providers, and apprenticeship programmes under one unified regulatory and funding system for the first time.
The concept of tertiary education is growing across the UK, as Edge’s researchers have explored. But, to date, this bold move from the Welsh government represents the most comprehensive attempt to create an integrated tertiary education system. Always keen to learn from policy developments across the four nations, Edge recently joined the College Alliance on a study visit to Wales to explore this emerging approach. The two-day session, hosted at Coleg y Cymoedd’s scenic Nantgarw Campus, welcomed colleges, universities, and civil servants from across the UK and Ireland.
A vision rooted in long-term thinking
At the heart of Wales’ new approach to post-16 education is a broader commitment to long-term, collaborative planning within the public sector. Underpinned by the Well-being of Future Generations Act (Wales) 2015, Welsh public bodies are required to consider the long-term impact of their decisions and foster collaboration to address persistent challenges like poverty, health inequalities, and climate change.
Within post-16 education, this has translated to a social democratic model of governance by partnership; something that is embedded in colleges’ strategic plans. And, as an arms-length body of the Welsh Government, Medr’s structure supports this long-term approach. While the Minister must approve its strategic priorities – holding it democratically accountable – these will only be revised every five years, providing stability regardless of the political weather.
Learner-centred and socially conscious
Unlike England’s employer-led approach, learners in Wales are taking centre stage in the skills system. While employers remain engaged (e.g. through regional skills partnerships), Wales views skills as an investment rather than a cost – something focused on achieving broader social goals, not just economic productivity. One of their key priorities is ensuring that every learner has a clear vision of the opportunities and pathways available post-16 and how they can access these.
The Welsh approach seeks to reflect and strengthen the existing emphasis within Wales on collaboration and partnership, rather than the competitive, market-based model which has been predominant in England for a long time. The model aims to formalise cooperation, creating a level playing field that brings together stakeholders to jointly decide on social priorities and subsequent resource allocation. Critics often argue that this type of planning approach leads to resource monopolisation, inefficiencies, and poor innovation. Marketisation of higher education in England was promoted in precisely this tone. In 2017, as then Minister for State for Universities and Science Jo Johnson put it, without competition universities acted as a ‘cartel’, conspiring to defend their state revenue streams from potentially more innovative and responsive new providers. He posits that this resulted in torpidity and inefficiency in the system. However, it can be argued that market-driven models are no less wasteful. Research by the Association of Colleges suggests that high areas of competition in 16-19 provision is bad for quality, efficiency and sufficiency, particularly in terms of breadth of subjects on offer, the financial health of colleges, and even their Ofsted ratings. In any case, voluntary and mutual partnership engagement is critical for this to succeed, and this can only be done with complete stakeholder buy-in and a regulator that can listen.
Potential challenges ahead
A key challenge for Medr will be financial. It must consider its short-term capacity to deliver services, balancing innovation and efficiency against economic constraints. Unfortunately, as with all UK nations, Wales presently faces significant fiscal challenges, exacerbated by the loss of European Social Fund support, which has been particularly devastating for the skills system. Furthermore, with reforms tending to invite expansion, Medr must be mindful not only of what to add to the system but of which activities to restrain. Striking a balance is the only way to ensure the system remains sustainable long term. This will involve difficult decisions and paring back activities in some areas.
To support its horizontal governance structure, the new system will also aim to formalise and strengthen existing college-university partnerships, which often currently rely on goodwill and personal relationships between leaders. Medr’s role as a regulator is envisioned as supportive rather than punitive, focusing on incentives, shared visions, and creating circumstances for long-term success. However, questions remain about how this might work in practice. Maintaining a supportive model, especially with a large number of smaller organisations under its remit, may prove challenging.
Wales’ unique context and lessons for England
While many challenges facing Wales are broadly applicable across the UK – the ‘missing middle’ in skills, low productivity, and high NEET levels – the country also grapples with its unique circumstances. An ageing population, an exodus of young talent, rural geography, and poor transport links mean Wales must create regional solutions and cannot simply wholesale adopt policies from elsewhere. Similarly, the context in the other nations of the UK varies, underlining the importance of Edge’s principle of policy learning rather than policy borrowing.
So, although we must view Medr as a specifically Welsh endeavour, there are still important lessons to learn. In England, the Labour Party has pledged in its manifesto to publish a post-16 skills strategy, setting out the roles of different providers, how students can move between institutions, and strengthening regulation. In creating a more closely aligned tertiary system, Labour would do well to examine the progress in Wales.
While much hard work lies ahead, this ambitious attempt at root and branch reform goes far beyond merely ‘reshuffling the deck’. Ultimately, though, success in Wales – as elsewhere – doesn’t just depend on carefully crafted policies. It will mean creating effective cultural change. In this regard, the step-change from competition to collaboration may be the biggest hurdle to overcome. But if Medr can achieve its goals, it could set a new standard for the rest of the UK. We will be watching their journey with great interest!