Wales’ most innovative and influential think tank the Bevan Foundation has announced a new partnership with The Open University in Wales.

The announcement comes during Learning at Work Week, with The Open University (OU) in Wales becoming the Bevan Foundation's second confirmed organisational partner for 2019.

The OU in Wales is the leading provider of part-time undergraduate higher education and supported distance learning across Wales. This year it is celebrating 50 years of opening up education to all.

Victoria Winckler, Director of the Bevan Foundation, said: “We are very excited to be partnering with such an innovative world leader and one whose ethos of enabling ‘anyone, anywhere' to access education echoes our own.”

Director of the OU in Wales, Louise Casella, says:

“Like the Bevan Foundation, the OU works to make Wales a fairer and more prosperous place by opening up education and removing barriers to participation in learning. We believe education is a vehicle for social mobility and know that when we support individuals to engage in higher education the benefits are transformative for them, for their families and for their communities.”

Victoria added

“Our goal for prosperity is focused on ensuring that everyone in Wales can benefit from good education and employment prospects, as well as good health and relationships. Our partnership with the OU in Wales will enable us to work towards this goal to create a fairer Wales where everyone, no matter what their characteristics, has the opportunity to fulfil their potential.”

The link between low educational attainment, unemployment and poverty is well documented, with people from deprived areas often missing out on opportunities that are open to others.  This is something the Bevan Foundation are committed to addressing.

To find out more about the partnership, please visit: https://www.bevanfoundation.org/about/prosperity-partner/