Today, Wales’ new First Minister Vaughan Gething appointed his top team. We urge the First Minister and his cabinet colleagues to embrace further education and work-based learning and ensure the sector has the funding it needs to drive our economic recovery, and give people of all ages the opportunity to change their lives through high quality education and training. ColegauCymru is delighted to welcome Lynne Neagle as Cabinet Secretary for Education and Jeremy Miles Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and the Welsh Language.
ColegauCymru Chair Guy Lacey said,
“On behalf of ColegauCymru, I would like to extend our congratulations and a very warm welcome to Lynne Neagle and Jeremy Miles in their new roles. It’s been a real privilege to work with Jeremy over the past three years in his previous role as Education Minister, in particular on the groundbreaking Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Act which is delivering significant reforms to the architecture of our sector, and offers a new opportunity for us to truly put learners at the heart of the system. A priority for Jeremy must be to start work to ensure we can quickly return vital, long-term funding for apprenticeships as we look to grow the economy and drive-up productivity."
"We look forward to working more closely with Lynne Neagle in her new role. As a long-term friend of the further education sector and a great supporter of Coleg Gwent over many years, I know Lynne understands the vital role of colleges in supporting learners, businesses and communities. I know she will bring with her the determination and passion she has always shown for supporting young people and creating an environment where all learners are safe and able to succeed.
With a new cabinet team in place, this is an opportunity for us to redouble our efforts on securing a sustainable funding package for colleges – to enable us to deliver the core curriculum as well as all important learner support. We must never lose focus on raising quality, and we look forward to working together with ministers to develop a vocational education and training strategy, which closely aligns to Wales’ economic and industrial priorities. We stand ready to work with Welsh Government in delivering a stronger, greener and fairer Wales”.
