Meetings

Welsh Government

Huw Lewis AM, Minister for Education and Skills

Steve Davies, Director, School Standards and Workforce

Emma Williams, Deputy Director Support for Learners Division

Huw Morris, Director, Skills, Higher Education and Lifelong Learning

The Committee scrutinised the Minister on his portfolio.

Welsh Government

Huw Lewis AM – Minister for Education and Skills
Jo-Anne Daniels, Director - Infrastructure, Curriculum, Qualifications and Learner Support Directorate

Brett Pugh, Director - School Standards and Workforce Directorate

Steve Vincent, Deputy Director - Schools Management and Effectiveness Division

The Committee heard evidence from the Minister for Education and Skills on the Donaldson Review.

Welsh Government

Brief - Private

CYPE(4)-29-14 – Paper 2

Huw Lewis AM, Minister for Education and Skills

Jo-Anne Daniels, Director, Infrastructure, Curriculum, Qualifications and Learner Support

Brett Pugh, Director, School Standards and Workforce Group

The Committee scrutinised the Minister on the review.  He agreed to provide a note on the following: 

A comparison of European Countries that have rapidly shifted to achieve the 500 score in each of the three domains of PISA.

Witnesses:

·         Huw Lewis AM, Minister for Education and Skills

·         Ken Skates AM, Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology

·         Owen Evans, Director, Department for Education and Skills

·         Neil Surman, Deputy Director, Higher Education Division

·         Andrew Clark, Deputy Director, Further Education and Apprenticeships Division

Supporting documents:

EBC(4)-38-13(p1) - Letter from the Chair to the Minister re Budget scrutiny 2014-15: Higher Education and Skills

EBC(4)-38-13(p2) - Welsh Government Draft Budget Proposals: Higher Education and Skills

1.1 The Committee took evidence from the Minister for Education and Skills Huw Lewis AM and the Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology Ken Skates AM.

2.2 Minister for Education and Skills agreed to provide information about the breakdown of savings made as a result of HE mergers which occurred over the last ten years.

Leighton Andrews, Minister for Education and Skills

Jeff Cuthbert, Deputy Minister for Skills

Carla Lyne - Deputy Director Finance and Corporate Services

Owen Evans - Director Skills, Higher Education and Lifelong Learning

3.1 The Chair welcomed the Minister and her officials to the meeting. Members questioned the witnesses.

Action points:

The Minister for Education and Skills and the Deputy Minister for Skills agreed to:

·         provide the latest figures on the number of people who are not in education, employment or training, and also compare them with the figures in English Regions;

·         provide a note on the resources and outcomes for Y Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, including the number of students who are studying with the Y Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol;

·         provide a note on which current pilot schemes are trialling the model of support whereby a “named person” is available for children who are at risk of becoming “not in education, employment or training”, including children that have been excluded from school;

·         provide a note outlining which employment and skills related programmes will mostly be affected by the £3.3 million decrease in the Employment and Skills Budget;

·         provide figures on what proportion of the Assembly Learning Grants budget is allocated to part-time support as opposed to full-time support.

Leighton Andrews AM, Minister for Education and Skills

Jeff Cuthbert AM, Deputy Minister for Skills

Owen Evans, Director – Skills, Higher Education and Lifelong Learning

Carla Lyne, Deputy Director of Finance and Corporate Services

2.1 The Chair welcomed Leighton Andrews - Minister for Education and Skills, Jeff Cuthbert AM - Deputy Minister for Skills, Owen Evans, Director Skills and Higher Education and Lifelong Learning and Carla Lyne, Deputy Director of Finance and Corporate Services. Members questioned the Minister and his officials. The meeting was suspended due to technical problems and it was agreed that the Chair would write to the Minister with the remaining questions.

Leighton Andrews, Minister for Education and Skills

Jeff Cuthbert, Deputy Minister for Skills

Emyr Roberts, Director General, Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills

Chris Tweedale, Director, Children, Young People and Schools Effectiveness Group

2.1 The Chair welcomed Leighton Andrews AM, Minister for Education and Skills, and Jeff Cuthbert AM, Deputy Minister for Skills to the meeting.

2.2 The Ministers answered questions from Members on their respective portfolios and priorities.

Leighton Andrews, Minister for Education and Skills

Jeff Cuthbert, Deputy Minister for Skills

Emyr Roberts, Director General, Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning & Skills

Owen Evans, Director, Skills, Higher Education & Lifelong Learning Group

2.1 The Chair welcomed the Minister for Education and Skills, the Deputy Minister for Skills and their officials to the meeting.  Members questioned the Ministers.

2.2 The Ministers agreed to provide further information on:

·         Further data on the gender split for involvement in construction

·         An update report on the 18 actions in the Youth Engagement and Employment Action Plan 2011-2015

·         Information on the rates of drop outs for Apprenticeships.