Back row: Heads and Principles of the FE Colleges involved in the partnership.
Front row: Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard B Davies, Swansea University; Ken Skates, Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology and Professor Iwan Davies Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Swansea University
Ken Skates AM, Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology yesterday launched the College University Skills Partnership (CUSP) at Swansea University.
Representatives of the founding members of the CUSP were present at the launch they include Swansea University, Coleg Cambria, Gower College Swansea, Neath Port Talbot Group and Pembrokeshire College.
The College University Skills Partnership extends the reach of higher education in the geographical areas covered by the Further Education partners. The aim is to develop and implement an innovative and flexible higher education and training system within the region that offers a wide range of learning opportunities, is responsive to learners and employers, ensures effective use of resources for learner benefit, and tackles disadvantage.
Together the CUSP will coordinate the strategic planning and delivery of high quality Higher Education in Further Education provision by the partners. Building on the strong commercial expertise of all partner colleges, the institutions will plan their provision at a strategic level, to agree the best way of meeting the higher level skills needs of students and employers in Wales, the skills which will define future competitiveness.
The development of CUSP supports the Welsh Government Policy Statement on Transformation (November 2009) which seeks to “transform the learning network to increase learner choice, reduce duplication of provision, and encourage higher quality learning and teaching in all post-16 provision.” improving accessibility for all learners, including those already in employment. This will be achieved by developing and supporting a range of progression pathways to include Foundation Degrees, Higher Level Apprenticeships, Access Programmes and Foundation Years. The programmes will take account of the latest developments in online and workplace-based learning.
Ken Skates, Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology said:
“It was a pleasure to launch the College University Skills Partnership today. This type of co-operation between a number of partners is great to see and an example that we want replicated across Wales.
“By sharing expertise and resources, widening choice and increasing access to higher skills, the new partnership is benefitting not only learners in the region but also businesses and the Welsh economy as a whole. A population with higher levels of skills can only be good news for all of us and I wish the new partnership all the best in the next stages of implementation”.
Professor Richard B Davies, Vice Chancellor of Swansea University said:
“CUSP and its collaboration with employers and the public and third sectors will increase the City Region’s potential to lever in funding for the development of new provision, as demanded by potential students. It will ensure that the world-class facilities and resources on Swansea’s existing Singleton Park Campus and the new Science and Innovation Campus are accessible to the widest range of regional learners.”
Principal Sharron Lusher of Pembrokeshire College said:
“This will help us to up-skill the existing workforce and re-skill people from re-structuring industries for opportunities in other sectors of the economy, as well as educating young people in areas for which there is local demand from employers”.
