£23 million to Support Welsh FE Colleges and Sixth Forms

The Welsh Government has today (22 Jul) announced additional funding of more than £50 million for universities and colleges.

The support is part of the Welsh Government’s actions to support students and Wales’ major education institutions and provide the skills and learning in response to the economic impact of the coronavirus.

£27m will be provided to higher education institutions, with £23m to support students in FE colleges and sixth forms.

Further Education and sixth-forms

Over £15 million will be provided for learners beginning their A-level or vocational course at an FE college or sixth form, to increase teaching support following their time away from their education setting earlier this year and to help with their transition to post-16 learning. The funding will be provided for all full-time learners between 16 and 19 years and represents a 5 per cent increase to funding-per-student.

Up to £5m will be provided to support vocational learners to return to college to help them achieve their licence-to-practice qualifications, without needing to re-sit the full year.

An extra £3.2m will be used to provide digital equipment such as laptops for FE students. An additional £466,000 will be provided to support students undertaking Independent Living Skills programmes, to enable them to complete their transition from college into employment and independence. £100,000 will also be provided to support regional mental health and wellbeing projects and professional development in Local Authority Community Learning.

Higher Education

£27m will be provided to universities through a Higher Education Investment and Recovery Fund for Wales, to maintain teaching and research in the 2020-21 academic year.  

The Recovery Fund will be established to support universities to maintain jobs in teaching, research and student services, invest in projects to support the wider economic recovery, and support students suffering from financial hardship.

Although the latest UCAS figures on university applications showed an increase in applications to Welsh universities from 18-year-olds, the coronavirus may lead to some students deferring their applications until next year.

A number of Welsh universities also have concerns over a potential decline in international students and a fall in revenues from student accommodation, as well as a potential fall in research investment from private and charitable sources.

Kirsty Williams, the Education Minister, said:

“Our universities and colleges here in Wales are world-class, both for their research and for student life. The most recent student survey, published last week, showed yet again that Welsh universities poll ahead of the UK for student satisfaction.

“Our colleges and universities are stewards of place. Each one across the nation, and working together, will be important in our recovery as they work with schools, business, international partners and public services.

“So we are supporting these major institutions in Welsh life, so that they can support students of all ages, and keep playing their part in our recovery.

“We will not have a full picture of the pandemic’s impact on universities until next term, but this funding will provide a vital support to our institutions in their preparations for the autumn. 

“Our support for 16-19 age students aims to ensure students beginning courses in September are not disadvantaged by the disruption they faced earlier this year, and is part of our wider measures to ensure we have a skilled workforce that will drive forward the economic recovery from the coronavirus.

“We will consider the situation and needs again in the autumn, to continue our support for the economic and social recovery from Covid-19.”

The Minister for Finance and Trefnydd, Rebecca Evans, said:

 “Our universities and colleges are major employers within their communities, and provide the skills and knowledge which are vital for economic growth.

“This support is part of the Welsh Government’s action to support students and enable Wales’ major education institutions to deliver employability and skills, which will be so important in the reconstruction phase.

“This package of measures will enable institutions to support young people to complete and continue learning that may have been disrupted by Covid-19, and support those who may have otherwise sought employment to stay in education to further improve their employability and skills.”

Dros £50 miliwn i gefnogi prifysgolion, colegau a myfyrwyr Cymru

Heddiw mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi cyhoeddi cyllid ychwanegol o dros £50 miliwn i brifysgolion a cholegau.

Mae’r gefnogaeth yn rhan o gamau gweithredu Llywodraeth Cymru i gefnogi myfyrwyr a phrif sefydliadau addysg Cymru ac i ddarparu’r sgiliau a’r dysgu fel ymateb i effaith economaidd y coronafeirws.

Bydd £27m yn cael ei ddarparu i sefydliadau addysg uwch gyda £23m i gefnogi myfyrwyr mewn colegau AB a chweched dosbarth. 

Addysg Uwch      

Bydd £27m yn cael ei ddarparu i brifysgolion drwy Gronfa Adfer a Buddsoddi mewn Addysg Uwch ar gyfer Cymru, i gynnal addysgu ac ymchwil ym mlwyddyn academaidd 2020-21.  

Bydd y Gronfa Adfer yn cael ei sefydlu i gefnogi prifysgolion i gynnal swyddi mewn addysgu, ymchwil a gwasanaethau myfyrwyr, a buddsoddi mewn  prosiectau a fydd yn cefnogi’r adferiad economaidd ehangach a chefnogi myfyrwyr sy’n dioddef problemau ariannol.          

Er bod ffigurau diweddaraf UCAS am geisiadau prifysgol wedi dangos cynnydd mewn ceisiadau i brifysgolion Cymru gan ieuenctid 18 oed, gall y coronafeirws arwain at rai myfyrwyr o’r DU yn gohirio eu ceisiadau tan y flwyddyn nesaf.      

Hefyd mae gan nifer o brifysgolion Cymru bryderon am ostyngiad posib mewn myfyrwyr rhyngwladol eleni a llai o refeniw o lety myfyrwyr, yn ogystal â gostyngiad posib mewn buddsoddiad ymchwil gan ffynonellau preifat ac elusennol.

Addysg Bellach a chweched dosbarth    

Bydd mwy na £15 miliwn yn cael ei ddarparu i ddysgwyr sy’n dechrau ar gwrs Safon Uwch neu alwedigaethol mewn coleg AB neu chweched dosbarth, i wneud iawn am eu hamser o’u lleoliad addysg yn gynharach eleni ac i helpu gyda’u pontio i ddysgu ôl-16. Bydd y cyllid yn cael ei ddarparu i ddysgwyr llawn amser sydd rhwng 16 ac 19 oed, ac mae’n cynrychioli cynnydd o 5 y cant i’r cyllid ar gyfer pob myfyriwr.                 

Bydd hyd at £5m yn cael ei ddarparu i gefnogi dysgwyr galwedigaethol i ddychwelyd i’r coleg i’w helpu i ennill eu cymwysterau trwydded i ymarfer heb fod angen ailsefyll y flwyddyn lawn.        

Bydd £3.2m ychwanegol yn cael ei ddefnyddio i ddarparu offer digidol fel gliniaduron ar gyfer dysgwyr coleg. Bydd £466,000 yn cael ei ddarparu i gefnogi myfyrwyr sy’n dilyn rhaglenni Sgiliau Byw yn Annibynnol, i alluogi iddynt ddychwelyd i gwblhau eu pontio o goleg i gyflogaeth ac annibyniaeth. Bydd £100,000 hefyd yn cael ei ddarparu hefyd i gefnogi prosiectau iechyd meddwl a lles rhanbarthol a datblygiad proffesiynol ym maes Dysgu Cymunedol awdurdodau lleol.                    

Dywedodd y Gweinidog Addysg, Kirsty Williams:                                 

“Mae’n prifysgolion a cholegau yma yng Nghymru o safon byd, am eu hymchwil a bywyd myfyrwyr. Dangosodd yr arolwg diweddaraf ar fyfyrwyr, a gyhoeddwyd yr wythnos ddiwethaf, fod prifysgolion Cymru ar y blaen unwaith eto i’r DU ar gyfer boddhad myfyrwyr.       

“Mae ein colegau a’n prifysgolion yn ‘stiwardiaid lleoliad’ a gyda’i gilydd gallant greu mwy o effaith i fyfyrwyr a’u cyswllt ag ysgolion, cymunedau lleol, cyflogwyr a phartneriaid rhyngwladol.    

“Felly rydym yn cefnogi’r sefydliadau mawr hyn ym mywyd Cymru, fel y gallant gefnogi myfyrwyr o bob oed, a pharhau i chwarae eu rhan yn ein hadferiad.

“Ni fydd gennym ddarlun llawn o effaith y pandemig ar brifysgolion tan y tymor nesaf, ond bydd y cyllid hwn yn darparu cefnogaeth hanfodol i’n sefydliadau ni wrth iddynt baratoi ar gyfer yr hydref.

“Nod ein cefnogaeth ni ar gyfer myfyrwyr 16 i 19 oed yw sicrhau nad yw myfyrwyr sy’n dechrau ar gyrsiau ym mis Medi yn wynebu anfantais oherwydd y tarfu maent wedi’i wynebu yn gynharach eleni, ac mae’n rhan o fesurau ehangach i sicrhau bod gennym ni weithlu medrus a fydd yn sbarduno’r adferiad economaidd wedi’r coronafeirws.

“Byddwn yn ystyried y sefyllfa eto yn yr hydref, er mwyn parhau â’n cefnogaeth i’r adferiad economaidd a chymdeithasol yn dilyn Covid-19.”

Dywedodd y Gweinidog ar gyfer Cyllid a’r Trefnydd, Rebecca Evans:

“Mae ein prifysgolion yn gyflogwyr mawr yn eu cymunedau ac yn darparu’r sgiliau a’r wybodaeth sy’n hanfodol ar gyfer twf economaidd.

“Mae’r cymorth hwn yn rhan o gamau gweithredu Llywodraeth Cymru i gefnogi myfyrwyr a galluogi sefydliadau addysg Cymru i gyflawni’r ymrwymiad Covid i gyflogadwyedd a sgiliau.

“Bydd y pecyn mesurau hwn yn galluogi sefydliadau i gefnogi pobl ifanc i gwblhau a pharhau â dysgu a allai fod wedi cael ei darfu gan Covid-19, a chefnogi’r rhai a allai fod wedi chwilio am waith fel arall i aros mewn addysg i wella eu cyflogadwyedd a’u sgiliau ymhellach. “