GUEST COLUMN:
Lisa Thomas
Chair, Colegau Cymru
Principal & Chief Executive, The College Merthyr Tydfil
Learner poverty is not a peripheral issue within education; it is also a fundamental economic issue for Wales. If a learner is unable to access transport to travel to college then we are effectively limiting their ability to participate in education or training. They are being kept at the edge of opportunity and that is why learner poverty has to be treated as an economic issue for Wales, not simply a welfare concern within education.
If people cannot access transport, digital resources, wellbeing support or financial assistance, then Wales is not only limiting individual potential but it is also weakening the skills base its economy depends on.
An inclusive skills system is often discussed in terms of fairness, but if we genuinely want to improve productivity and social mobility in Wales then investment is required. We need a system that not only widens access, but also enables learners to stay in education or training, succeed and progress. Every learner who is able to stay in education, build confidence, develop skills and progress into work is contributing to a stronger economy.
For further education colleges, this is part of our everyday work. Colleges are anchor institutions in their communities, particularly in places where young people and adults may not have had the same access to opportunity as those in more advantaged areas. In the Valleys and across Wales, learners need access to high-quality education and training, but they also need the practical support that allows them to participate.
Wales cannot afford to waste talent because a person’s background or circumstances have created barriers that prevent them from participating. The more inclusive our skills system becomes, the stronger our economy will be.
But inclusion also requires flexibility. A system that asks every learner or employer to fit into the same structure will not meet the needs of the economy Wales is trying to build.
Government, regional bodies, employers, colleges and training providers all have a role, but Wales has a tendency to overcomplicate its own systems. For a 16-year-old trying to understand what opportunities are available, or an adult working in several jobs but hoping to retrain for better-paid employment, the system has to be visible, accessible and understandable.
That clarity must then be matched by a more flexible approach to skills and qualifications. Employers need a workforce that can respond to changing demand, and learners need routes that allow them to build skills. Personal Learning Accounts have shown how valuable that can be, giving adults and young people access to more bite-sized opportunities rather than expecting everyone to complete large qualifications before they can progress.
That kind of flexibility is not a theoretical point. We have seen examples elsewhere that show what is possible.
In Stuttgart, there is a strong commitment to apprenticeships linked to the motor vehicle industry, with a clear recognition that employers need a pipeline of apprentices to replace experienced workers as they come towards the end of their careers. Skills planning is connected directly to industrial need.
In Finland, the flexibility of the qualifications model allows for more of a roll-on, roll-off approach to upskilling and reskilling, making it easier for people to build skills throughout their lives and for employers to respond to workforce needs as they arise.
That is the direction Wales needs to move in if we are going to meet employer demand and attract investment. Employers, whether large businesses or SMEs, need to know that Wales can provide a workforce that is ready and able to adapt. Our current system does not yet provide that level of flexibility consistently enough.
Further education has a crucial role to play in this. Colleges work with learners of all ages and with employers across their regions. They understand the barriers facing individuals, but they also understand the skills pressures facing businesses. That makes them central to any serious plan for inclusive economic growth.
Yet colleges and training providers also need stability. Strategic planning is difficult when funding is uncertain, short-term or insufficient. In the FE sector, there is already a £50 million shortfall identified for 2027-28. That represents learners who may not be funded, and communities whose needs may be harder to meet.
A multi-year funding settlement would allow colleges and training providers to plan more strategically and respond more effectively to employer need. It would also give the system the confidence to develop provision in line with the sectors and communities Wales wants to support.
The task now is to build a system that is both fairer and more responsive. That means removing practical barriers to learning, investing in learner support, creating more flexible routes into skills and employment, and giving colleges the stability to plan for the long term.
