Bevan Foundation meets with Eluned Morgan AM

Today we met with the Minister for Welsh Language and Lifelong Learning, Eluned Morgan AM, to discuss our recommendations for an inclusive approach to post-16.

In June we launched our report ‘I want to be something: better opportunities for young people‘ that highlighted the lack of post-16 opportunities available for young people who leave school without 5 A*-C GCSEs, and has agenda setting recommendations for making post-16 more inclusive of young people without those qualifications.

Today we had a positive meeting with the Minister for Welsh Language and Lifelong Learning, Eluned Morgan AM, to discuss some of those recommendations including:

A Youth Advice Pledge to ensure that every young person receives effective impartial careers information, advice and guidance to allow them to make their own informed decisions, by:

• making legislation requiring schools to supply adequate careers advice,
• starting careers advice from year 7, and
• ensuring that careers advice includes all post-16 providers including Further Education (FE) Colleges, Work-Based Learning providers and employers.

Youth Prospects to ensure that young people have clearer progression routes into a wider range of vocational areas, by:

• increasing opportunities for young people to re-sit their GCSEs,
• increasing the subjects available in lower level FE courses, and
• widening the sectors available in Work-Based Learning.

Better Access to post-16 provisions to ensure that every young person has the same opportunity to achieve their full potential, regardless of background, by:

• reducing the cost of post-16 provision, especially the enrollment fees for FE colleges,
• mitigating travel costs and offering young people travel passes, and
• ensuring parity between different post-16 funding options and allowances.

Read the full report here.