Tackle intergenerational inequality and poverty through adult education and access to second chance learning.
Unlocking long-term growth, improving living standards and tackling intergenerational poverty rests on people being able to access opportunities to learn in their communities, to reskill and upskill for the jobs of the future and access learning for health and wellbeing. The path to a fairer and more prosperous Wales lies in colleges being funded and supported to deliver the flexible learning opportunities that adults need at the different stages in their lives.
To deliver this mission the next Welsh Government, working with Medr, should:
- Commit to deliver a new entitlement to lifelong learning for every adult in Wales. This should be a long-term policy goal that starts with reversing cuts to adult education, introducing new funding lines to allow colleges to provide rapid and flexible reskilling and upskilling and that ultimately allows individuals to access a personalised, flexible learning fund that they can access throughout their lives.
- Invest in rolling out Recognition of Prior Learning to support adults with the fewest qualifications to gain recognition for the skills they have. This will help fast-track learners to achieving recognised qualifications and provide them with the opportunity to gain higher-skilled, higher-wage jobs.
- Recognise the opportunities and challenges from the development of AI by working with colleges to ensure every adult who wants it has the access to learning they need to understand the basics of using AI. Colleges should be funded and supported by both the next Welsh Government and by Medr to be the frontline provider of foundational AI learning, to be a part of the pathway into AI careers and to support employers to upskill their workforces.
- Adult Community Education must be valued for the work it does to improve skills, to strengthen communities and to contribute to better health and wellbeing. The next Welsh Government must continue to recognise the importance of investing in adult basic skills such as numeracy, literacy and digital and work with the sector to create stronger adult learning partnerships that secure lasting and sustainable provision.
- Recognise the value and impact of families learning together by introducing a new Family Learning Policy, and support colleges to work with schools to provide opportunities for adult education in primary and secondary schools.
Read more on our other missions:
| MISSION 1 | MISSION 2 |
| Grow the economy by equipping industry and the workforce with the skills needed to meet the challenges of a changing economy that will be reshaped by the transition to net zero and the development of AI. | Improve participation, progression and outcomes in post-16 education by breaking down barriers, helping young people to make the right choices about their future and be ready for the world of work, and delivering high-quality teaching and learning. |
MISSIONS UNDERPINNED BY FINANCIAL STABILITY
The three missions cannot be met without recognising the importance of addressing the financial pressures in the sector and the ensuring colleges have greater long term financial stability and operational flexibility to meet the needs of their communities.
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COLEGAUCYMRU MANIFESTO
