Inquiry5

The Children Young People and Education Committee considered the Welsh Government’s approach to preparing for Brexit in relation to the Higher and Further Education sector in Wales. To inform scrutiny the Committee called for evidence in respect of the following three broad themes: learner outcomes and employability, financial sustainability and investment, and research and innovation funding and collaboration.

Learner Outcomes and Employability

• Explore the potential challenges to future learner success and employability post-Brexit and what is and could be done to meet these.
• Explore the potential impact on the sector of any loss of the EU ERASMUS+ mobility scheme and understand the opportunities for alternative mobility schemes which currently exist or could conceivably be developed.

Financial Sustainability and Investment Opportunities

• Consider the potential challenges posed by Brexit to the financial sustainability of Further and Higher Education Institutions.
• Investigate the exposure to EU funding, of the future investment plans of Further and Higher Education Institutions and what the opportunities for alternative sources of investment funding are.

Research and Innovation Funding and Collaboration

• Investigate the reliance of Further and Higher Education Institutions on future EU research and innovation funding.
• Explore what will and could be done to safeguard EU research collaborations and networks post-Brexit.

Evidence gathering

Note from the stakeholder event on 4 July 2018 (PDF 100KB)

Report

Report (PDF 720KB) on the inquiry into the Impact of Brexit on Higher and Further Education

Welsh Government Response (PDF 5.1MB)

Letter from the Chair of the Committee to the Minister for Education seeking further information on the response (PDF 141KB)

Letter from the Minister for Education setting out additional information (PDF 409KB)

The plenary debate on the Committee’s report took place on 20 March 2019.