This term the Senedd has argued about the financial position of Welsh universities and the Welsh Government's review of higher education. Members have also pressed ministers on funding pressures in further education, apprenticeships, and the number of young people not in education, employment or training. Plaid Cymru ministers point to a skills audit and summit. Labour, Conservative and Reform Members ask for faster action and clearer funding.
The main arguments
Deputy Minister Cefin Campbell (Plaid Cymru) said universities face a perfect storm, with an £82 million underlying deficit in 2024-25 and an 11 per cent enrolment fall. Adrian Mason (Reform UK) cited Bangor's deficit and asked for certainty on the fee cap. Contributions: [1]
May 2021Mar 2026
3,170 contributions in the Sixth Senedd touched on this. The busiest month was Jan 2025, with 286.
Who raises it
Labour68%
Conservative19%
Plaid12%
Lib Dem0%
Independent0%
Reform0%
Share of the 2,135 contributions on this subject, by the speaker's party.
Benjamin Hodge Mckenna (Reform UK) raised student debt and value for money. Vikki Howells (Welsh Labour) urged decoupling plan 2 loans from England. Andrew RT Davies (Welsh Conservatives) asked about two Treasury Committee recommendations. Campbell described a balance between fees, fairness and Welsh benefit. Contributions: [1][2][3][4]
Lynne Neagle, Vikki Howells (Welsh Labour) said the review looks only at universities, and asked where further education sits. Campbell said Medr is looking at funding principles to encourage school and college collaboration, and added £6.25 million this year. Contributions: [1][2][3][4]
Campbell and Anna Brychan (Plaid Cymru) described a national skills audit and summit. Sam Rowlands (Welsh Conservatives) and Helen Jenner (Reform UK) said employers need action now rather than more strategies and reviews. Contributions: [1][2][3][4]
Campbell said £150 million supports apprenticeships and wants more Welsh-medium provision. Rowlands noted Wales has four apprenticeship sectors against around 170 in England. Catherine Cullen and Carmelo Colasanto (Reform UK) described employer costs deterring apprentice recruitment. Contributions: [1][2][3][4]
Art Wright (Reform UK) cited a 17 per cent NEET rate for 16 to 24-year-olds. Rowlands compared Wales with England at 13.3 per cent. Campbell cited the Milburn review and junior apprenticeships as responses. Contributions: [1][2][3][4]
Rhun ap Iorwerth (Plaid Cymru) described a wide participation gap between schools. Neagle (Welsh Labour) worried about merging Seren with Reaching Wider. Campbell said Seren should keep stretch for able learners but not push students to leave Wales. Contributions: [1][2][3]
Where the parties stand
Plaid CymruShifted
Its Ministers describe a connected tertiary system, a skills audit and summit, and a review to make higher education sustainable. They stress Welsh-medium provision and say FE pressures will be reassessed in November. Contributions: [1][2][3][4][5]
How this has shifted: In June and July Plaid Cymru Ministers announced a skills audit and summit. In September they launched the higher education review. By October they reported that the summit had been held.
Welsh LabourShifted
Its Members say the review should cover further education as well as universities. They press on FE funding, Jobs Growth Wales+ contracts, Seren and student loan interest, and describe FE funding as not new money. Contributions: [1][2][3][4][5]
How this has shifted: In July Labour voted against the supplementary budget over additional learning needs funding. In October it welcomed a £60 million deal, including £2.5 million for FE, and asked for sustainable funding.
Welsh Conservatives
Its Members say employers face skills shortages now and need action, not strategies. They criticise the narrow range of Welsh apprenticeship sectors and press on unfunded college places and NEET rates. They ask for help for student borrowers. Contributions: [1][2][3][4][5]
Reform UK
Its Members ask for certainty on the tuition fee cap and say the skills statement is light on change. They press on apprenticeship costs for small employers, NEET numbers and college waiting lists. Contributions: [1][2][3][4][5]
What the government is being pressed on
1Fees: Adrian Mason (Reform UK) asked if the Welsh fee cap will stay in line with England. In answer to related questions, Campbell said fees keep universities going and the system needs balancing for students. Contributions: [1][2]
2FE funding: Neagle said £6.25 million was not new money and asked for a review of FE funding. Campbell said Medr's extra money was provided and a decision would follow in November. Vikki Howells cited 5,500 unfunded learners. Contributions: [1][2][3]
3Skills now: Rowlands asked what happens now to fill gaps, such as electricians. Campbell said strategy needs evidence, the audit reports in March or April, and headline findings reach the October summit. Contributions: [1][2]
4NEETs: Neagle said Jobs Growth Wales+ provider ACT's contract fell from £18.8 million to £13.9 million. Campbell said he will lead an inter-ministerial group, citing the Milburn finding that 70 per cent of NEETs are economically inactive. Contributions: [1][2]
5Apprenticeship choice: Rowlands asked why Wales has only four apprenticeship sectors. Ruth Meadows, an official, said responsibility moves to Medr in 2027, a new specification is out for consultation until December, and entry points are being reviewed. Contributions: [1][2][3]
What the public is asking for
Two open petitions concern universities: one asks for a duty to prevent sexual violence at Welsh universities (1,634 signatures), and the other asks to stop victimisation, bullying and harassment in Welsh universities (284 signatures).
Who ministers are meeting
Ministers have met universities and their representative body, Universities Wales and university chairs, plus individual FE colleges, adult learning organisations, the UCU trade union, and academics from other UK and overseas universities. They have also met youth and cultural bodies on Taith.
In the Sixth Senedd (2021 to 2026)
From the previous Senedd's record, for issues that run across both. The rest of this analysis covers the Seventh Senedd only.
In the Sixth Senedd, debate moved from creating a single tertiary system to the financial strain that followed. The Tertiary Education and Research Bill brought post-16 education under one body, later Medr. Members then argued about apprenticeship budget cuts and, from 2025, university deficits and job losses.
Jeremy Miles (Welsh Labour) said the Bill put higher and further education, sixth forms, apprenticeships and research under one steward. Sioned Williams (Plaid Cymru) pressed for stronger Welsh-medium duties. Contributions: [1][2]
In 2024 Luke Fletcher (Plaid Cymru) and Paul Davies (Welsh Conservatives) criticised apprenticeship cuts. Davies said the cut of £12.25 million after extra funding was still a significant reduction. Contributions: [1][2]
In early 2025, after Cardiff University announced job cuts, Natasha Asghar (Welsh Conservatives) and Sioned Williams (Plaid Cymru) described the effect on staff and students. Cefin Campbell criticised the dropping of a transformation fund. Contributions: [1][2][3]
In November 2025 Vikki Howells (Welsh Labour) set out five challenges for tertiary education. Cefin Campbell said universities reported a £77 million deficit and cited low university application rates among Welsh 18-year-olds. Contributions: [1][2]
Written by AI on 6 November 2026 from 209 contributions in the Senedd between 12 May 2026 and 4 November 2026, with the petitions and ministers' meetings on this brief. Each point links to the contributions it draws on; check them before quoting. How the analysis is written. Report an error
Where things stand
Statistics published by the Welsh Government. Each chart covers the years since the 2016 Senedd election, or as far back as the figures go, and marks each election since.
Young people not in education, employment or training
13.7%
2024 (provisional)
A year earlier
13.2%(2023)
The estimated share of 16 to 24 year olds in Wales who were not in education, employment or training, by year.
The estimates combine survey and administrative data. The latest year is provisional and is revised the following year.
The Programme for Government 2026 to 2030 belongs to the Seventh Senedd. Choose the Seventh Senedd to see how often each commitment has come up.
The skills that Wales needs
Develop a Skills Strategy for Wales, informed by a national skills audit, to align skills provision, vocational education and qualifications with current and future economic needs. We will support a system that strengthens pathways into education, training and employment, helping people gain the skills, support and opportunities they need to enter, remain and progress in fair, secure and sustainable work.
Take steps to create a financially sustainable tertiary education system that delivers high‑quality education, skills and research, supports collaboration across the sector, and secures long‑term value from public investment, starting with our independent review of higher education funding.
Work to ensure that young people in Wales can live, study and work in Europe – including by maximising the opportunities for Welsh students that stem from the UK rejoining the Erasmus+ scheme and examining options for the future of the Wales‑specific Taith programme.
Develop a tertiary education system with clear and coherent learner pathways, supporting lifelong learning and enabling people of all ages to progress confidently between education, training and employment throughout their lives and to reach their full potential.
Reform Academi Seren, building on its strongest elements to support more learners, including from disadvantaged backgrounds, to fulfil their potential and progress into higher education, training or employment including here in Wales.
Strengthen opportunities for young people to fulfil their potential including increasing access to vocational pathways such as junior apprenticeships and ensuring the contribution of youth work is better valued and understood.
Source: Welsh Government, Programme for government 2026 to 2030: New ambition for Wales, first published on 10 September 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Mentions are found by matching the names of plans, bodies and schemes; a mention says nothing about progress.
From the Welsh Government
The Welsh Government's latest press releases and Cabinet statements on this brief.
Plaid Cymru's Luke Fletcher asked the Senedd to regret missed apprenticeship targets and funding cuts, and to call for long-term funding, no degree apprenticeship fees and an independent review. Labour and the Conservatives tabled amendments. The Senedd rejected all three amendments and the original motion, so nothing was agreed.
Amendment 1, from Labour's Lesley Griffiths, proposed replacing the whole motion with wording that blames budget cuts and inflation and welcomes over £400m committed to apprenticeships.
Amendment 2, from Conservative Darren Millar, asked the Government to expand apprenticeships, especially degree level, in healthcare, renewable energy and digital technology.
Amendment 3, from Conservative Darren Millar, asked the Government to allow flexible entry to degree apprenticeships that recognises a person's earlier education.
How these votes work: the Senedd first votes on the motion as written. If that fails, it votes on each amendment in turn, then on the motion with any agreed changes.
Explanations are written by AI from the published motion and the debate. Check the wording on the vote's page before quoting.
Votes are tagged from their own titles and the agenda item they were held under.
Each bar is the share of that party's speeches and questions in the Sixth Senedd that touched this brief, so large and small parties can be compared. The upright line marks the chamber as a whole: 1.1%.
Ministers' meetings with outside organisations and their engagements on this brief, from the register the Welsh Government publishes every three months. 4 since the 2026 election; the latest:
23 September 2026
Inspire! Adult Learning Awards
Meeting, Deputy Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education
27 July 2026
Meeting with CMEWL and Adult Learning Wales
Meeting, Deputy Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education
27 July 2026
Adult Learning Wales
Meeting, Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
24 June 2026
Adult Learning Conference, Cardiff City Stadium
Meeting, Deputy Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education
Today marks a big milestone for thousands of learners across Wales as they receive their GCSE and vocational qualification results. This year, like in 2024, results are being awarded in line with 2019 pre-pandemic standards.
Today, thousands of learners across Wales have received their A level and vocational qualifications results with more learners gaining the highest A* grade compared to last year.
Contributions tagged in each month of the Sixth Senedd. No sittings were held in August 2021, August 2022, August 2023, December 2024 and August 2025.Show the numbers
Month
Contributions
May 2021
1
June 2021
25
July 2021
12
August 2021
No sittings
September 2021
44
October 2021
29
November 2021
90
December 2021
105
January 2022
71
February 2022
27
March 2022
97
April 2022
16
May 2022
44
June 2022
36
July 2022
25
August 2022
No sittings
September 2022
10
October 2022
37
November 2022
102
December 2022
How this brief is put together
This brief follows the Programme commitments listed above and tags the record with the phrases below. Keyword matching can miss business that discusses the issue in other words, and can tag a passing mention.
Show the phrases it uses
A contribution is tagged when its English text contains one of these phrases. Capital letters don't matter, except in abbreviations, which must match exactly. It is also tagged when the title of the agenda item or question it was part of contains one, as long as the contribution is at least 30 words long. The brief is also tagged whenever one of its themes is.
The share of people aged 16 to 64 neither in work nor looking for work, over the twelve months to each date, in Wales and the UK.
From the Annual Population Survey, a sample survey: small changes from one period to the next may not be real. Each figure covers twelve months, so the figures for neighbouring dates share most of their months. They differ from the monthly headline labour market figures.
