The significant progress that has been made so far in relation to the Welsh Assembly Government's Transformation agenda - which aims to modernise post-16 education - has been outlined by the Deputy Minister for Skills, John Griffiths.
Addressing a national conference on Transformation the Deputy Minister said:
"Our long-term skills challenge will only be met if we offer young people better opportunities than previous generations. Transforming education and training provision in Wales is key to ensuring that we have an education system that can meet the demands of a modern economy, supporting both communities and the economy.
"We welcome the diversity of proposals that have been submitted to us which reflect local circumstances and aspirations and also address the implementation of the 14-19 Learning and Skills Measure. We recognise that hard decisions are being taken on behalf of learners. In the visits that we make across Wales, we sense a real desire to improve the quality, effectiveness and efficiency of learning."
The Deputy Minister went on to say that many ambitious proposals were being developed including those concerned with school reorganisation, further and higher education collaborations and school and college collaborations. He added that five further education mergers are planned and one has already taken place.
John Griffiths did however stress that there is a need for local authorities and other partnerships that have been slow to advance their plans, to make rapid progress so that local learners are not disadvantaged compared to those accessing learning elsewhere in Wales.
"We will continue to work with these Learning Partnerships to assist them in building a secure evidence base for change. There is urgency in the need for us to modernise post-16 education across Wales, so that it works more efficiently and effectively," he said.
Source: Welsh Assembly Government | 
