Universities, colleges and skills
University finances and jobs, further education and sixth forms, apprenticeships and the skills Wales's economy needs.
In the Programme for Government this sits under the well-being objective Unleashing the potential of the Welsh economy, and creating good well-paid jobs.
Showing the theme Colleges and sixth forms. The Programme commitments are the brief's as a whole.
- Statements and debates
- 0
- Contributions
- 83
- Written questions
- 2
- Commitments raised
- 6 of 6
83 contributions in the Seventh Senedd touched on this. The busiest month was Sept 2026, with 36.
- Plaid54%
- Labour22%
- Conservative13%
- Reform12%
On this page
The debate so far
Since May 2026 the Senedd has debated how to keep Welsh universities financially stable, with a Government-commissioned review of higher education led by Professor Patrick Prendergast. Labour and Reform UK Members have pressed on redundancies and fees. Labour and Conservative Members have also pressed on college funding and waiting lists in further education. Ministers have set out a skills audit, a skills summit and apprenticeship reform, and opposition Members ask what will change in the meantime.
The main arguments
- Cefin Campbell (Plaid Cymru) said Welsh universities reported an £82 million underlying deficit in 2024-25 and enrolments fell 11 per cent between 2022-23 and 2024-25. He said the review, chaired by Professor Prendergast, will examine funding, student support and sector resilience.
