What steps is the Cabinet Secretary taking to review the effectiveness of university courses in Wales?
The university sector in Wales is diverse, with each university having a distinct mission and strategy. This enables them to meet the needs of their local communities, and offer choice to students, while also working on a global stage to carry out excellent research and innovation.
The Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) are responsible for monitoring the performance of the higher education sector in Wales. External quality assessment of higher education institutions is carried out by the Quality Assurance Agency through a contractual arrangement with HEFCW. In Wales, this assessment is in the form of the Gateway Quality Review – an initial review to test providers against baseline quality requirements – and subsequent periodic Quality Enhancement Reviews. Where concerns are identified, HEFCW write to the university’s Governing Body to request action.
HEFCW also monitor performance in a variety of other ways, including an institutional risk review process, considering institutional performance against National Measures, which include metrics on participation, retention, student satisfaction and employment outcomes. HEFCW also review an institution’s financial position and its performance in research and innovation.
As autonomous institutions, universities are responsible for how they deliver their courses, in line with their strategic plans and the Welsh Government does not direct the universities on this. That said, the Welsh Government wants to ensure quality for students and works closely with HEFCW and institutions to ensure that the higher education sector in Wales drives excellence.