What assessment has the Minister made of whether communities in north and south Wales have equal access to lifelong learning opportunities?
Our funding of lifelong learning is designed to give everyone in Wales the chance to succeed in life. We work with FE colleges and local authorities to ensure this is distributed in a fair and equitable manner.
Providers are autonomous bodies and are best placed to determine any courses on offer. The 2010 Equality Act requires colleges and local authorities to set out Strategic Equality Plans which determine how their provision will cater to the widest audience. Their provision will also be informed by education and employer intelligence gathered from Regional Skills Partnerships, who will identify levels of met and unmet demand and set out high-level priorities for action.
These mechanisms enable providers to tailor their services to the communities they serve.