4 September 2023

Welcoming the further education and skills sector

As chair of the ColegauCymru international group, I was delighted that further education would be included within the Global Wales III programme. Wales has a thriving further education and skills sector, with four of our colleges currently actively recruiting international students and a sector-wide interest in building partnerships for collaboration.

I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on the first year of our collaboration with further education colleges and share some highlights of what we have achieved so far.

Promoting further education colleges on the global stage

In line with our efforts to bolster the international profile of Welsh further education, we are thrilled to see the four colleges that recruit internationally feature on the Study in Wales website. This marks an exciting step forward in promoting the sector to a global audience of prospective students, showcasing the exceptional educational opportunities available in colleges and further reinforcing Wales as a leading education and study destination.

The Study in Wales website has already featured new content focusing on colleges and further education, including an introduction to further education in Wales, how colleges support their students with employability skills, and information about applying to a college.

Empowering female entrepreneurs

Global Wales hosted a two-day visit from WE-Hub, India's first female entrepreneur start-up incubator based in Telangana, Hyderabad. The visit included productive meetings with ChwaraeTeg, Tramshed Tech, ColegauCymru, SBARC at Cardiff University, Taith, NPTC Group of Colleges, Cardiff High School, Wales Women in STEM Network and the National Start-Up Awards.

Discussions focused on inspiring young women to pursue STEM, student mobility partnerships for A-level students, and supporting entrepreneurs in their start-up endeavours. A roundtable was also held between start-ups run by female entrepreneurs from WE-Hub and Tramshed Tech.

Colleges can be rightly proud of the work they are doing in Wales to empower female entrepreneurs, and I am delighted to see that commitment extended to supporting organisations like WE-Hub internationally.

Wales engages with Vietnam's vocational education and training (VET) sector

I was pleased to be able to represent the Welsh further education sector at the Wilton Park Dialogue in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The conference explored “The ASEAN skills challenge: How can government, education providers and employers provide skills for the 21st Century?”. Delegates from ministries, education providers and employers across the region were in attendance as well as UK representatives including Department of Business and Trade and the UK’s International Education Champion, Sir Steve Smith.

Immediately apparent was that the challenges facing the ASEAN region match those of Wales and the rest of the UK. Delegates shared issues including connecting curriculum with the skills employers want, engaging with hard-to-reach groups and supporting a culture of lifelong learning.

Clearly, the climate emergency is also a real concern for countries in the ASEAN region. Using the Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), educational plans, subjects and courses are being created to ensure that students understand both current and future issues related to global warming and its direct and wider impact on the environment. Countries in the ASEAN region are particularly keen to share and collaborate in this area of work across all provision.

As well as participating in the Wilton Park Dialogue, I spent time visiting two vocational colleges, Thu Duc College of Technology and International College, Ho Chi Minh City to learn more about the VET sector in Vietnam.

Strengthening ties with Canada

Global Wales, in partnership with ColegauCymru, organised an outward delegation of principals from seven colleges to attend the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics/Colleges and Institutes Canada annual congress in Montreal.

During the visit, Global Wales held a reception to celebrate collaboration between further education institutions in Wales and Canada, marking the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Colleges and Institutes Canada, ColegauCymru, and Universities Wales.

If you would like to read more about this MoU, you can do so here.

Exploring European collaborations

Global Wales and ColegauCymru embarked on a series of meetings in Brussels, as part of a scoping visit organised by Global Wales and Welsh Higher Education Brussels, to explore opportunities for partnerships with Flanders and Baden-Württemberg. The discussions laid foundations for collaboration in various sectors, including education leadership and research.

Driving electric vehicle industry skills in India

Global Wales facilitated the delivery of a five-day electric vehicle (EV) workshop at Geethanjali College of Engineering and Technology in Hyderabad, Telangana.

Delivered by further education trainers from NPTC Group of Colleges and Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, with support from the Research and Innovation Circle in Hyderabad, the workshops aimed to train the next generation of Indian students in the EV industry. Students gained in-depth knowledge of electric cars and associated technologies, setting the stage for further courses with Indian partners. 

Building partnerships between Wales and India

Through funding from phase two of the Global Wales programme, Global Wales was able to facilitate a visit from T-Hub, the world’s largest start-up innovation campus which is based in Telangana, India in July 2022. The visitors explored various avenues for collaboration in specific areas such as EV and green tech. During the visit they were introduced to colleagues from Cardiff and Vale College and Gower College Swansea.

The introduction led to a successful joint-submission of a Taith-funded Pathway 2 application between Gower College Swansea, T-Hub, and Cardiff and Vale College to develop a series of flexible short-courses on EV and green technology.

There is a gap between the rapid emergence of new technologies and courses available to train entrepreneurs in green skills. It is hoped that the Taith Pathway 2 project, will help to meet the demand for professionals in the environmental and sustainability sectors, and contribute to addressing the climate emergency. 

 

The integration of the further education sector into the Global Wales III programme has achieved so much in its first year, from providing new opportunities for collaboration, fostering international partnerships, promoting Welsh colleges globally, and empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank colleagues on behalf of Global Wales for their collaboration this year, in particular ColegauCymru, Wales’ colleges, our partners in Welsh Government, British Council Wales, HEFCW, and our funders, Welsh Government through Taith. We look forward to working together to achieve further success in the new academic year.