I’m really pleased to take part in this debate this afternoon, because I’ve had a great interest in FE education throughout my time as a Member of the Assembly, and I’ve raised these issues in the past because it is sometimes the forgotten part of the education sector, but it’s hugely important to the Welsh economy. As we’ve heard, it allows students to acquire vocational skills, fill skill gaps, update their skills and even prepare for a career change, and Members have touched on all those aspects, I think, of what FE provides. In a modern economy, we need a flexible, confident, skilled workforce, and this isn’t just because of what might happen because of Brexit; it’s the modern world. I was talking recently to a group of students and saying, ‘Not only will you change jobs half a dozen times—a dozen times perhaps—you’ll probably change careers two or three times.’ That’s the astonishing thing of what happens, and that’s greatly liberating but also, if you’re not prepared, very, very challenging. It is, perhaps, the learners who don’t feel so prepared whom I want to spend a little time talking about. FEs have played a great role over the years in helping to fill the skill gaps that occur, and we know there’s a really troubling attainment gap at GCSE level in English and maths, in particular, and it ends up being bridged, if it is bridged, in the FE sector. I think we should remember the skill that they perform in that task in dealing with students who’ve often had less than pleasant experiences in formal education, and then find it much more conducive in the atmosphere of an FE college. I think that is something that we really, really need to value.

When I give advice to young constituents who have various issues, I ask, ‘Are you in employment? Are you in training? What are you looking for?’, and I’m always impressed by those who say they’ve gone back and they’re at FE colleges pursuing some qualifications there and are seeking to improve their chances in the labour market and to improve their employment opportunities.

FEs also help older people to improve their numeracy and literacy skills. And again, I think we’ve all helped people, perhaps through our surgery work, with the direct issue, but also you realise that part of their problem relates to fairly basic literacy and numeracy. Again, the FE sector, through their continuing education for adults and evening classes, as we’ve heard, provide really essential services here that can be greatly liberating. When people, slightly later in life, achieve that level of education that allows them to flourish, I think it’s a deeply moving moment. Sometimes, that includes people who are in the workplace. They may not be in highly skilled jobs, but they are in the workplace, and I’m particularly attracted to those programmes that have been developed with FE colleges and trade unions, in fairness, as well, which help employees in the workplace to improve some of the basic skills.

Can I just turn to another aspect of the debate? I am concerned about the future funding streams for the sector. We’ve heard about the budgetary arrangements and the need to move to three-year budgets, so I won’t repeat that point. But, you know, since 2007, about £600 million has come into FE colleges through the European funding routes, and I am concerned about what will happen after 2020, because Brexit must not mean that skills training in deprived areas is in any way downgraded. I hope the Minister may have something to say there; I think it’s very, very important that we maintain the priority here.

Let me finish, then, on the importance of FE. I mean, this was the part of the—. It goes back to 1944, really. The vision was grammar schools, technical schools and then secondary modern. Secondary modern was never really a very robust approach. Technical schools used to work quite well where they were really tried, and in Wales, we had a fairly good record, but it still didn’t get that parity of esteem with the academic grammar route, as they called it then. We’ve heard some really interesting examples about the Netherlands, and I would say Germany as well. I remember attending a conference in Germany and putting the television on, and there was an advert about a town at work, and it was just showing how vital vocational skills were to the everyday running of that town. So, you know, that’s what we really need to emphasise.

Llyr said he’s never used his degree professionally. He didn’t tell us what his degree is, but I have two degrees in politics, so I’ll leave it up to you whether you think I’ve used them very well. [Laughter.] But I thought Oscar, when he said that he arrived here without any prior qualifications apart from a degree in politics—well, that probably tells you what he thinks about a degree in politics. [Laughter.] And he didn’t tell us whether he acquired his flying lessons via an FE college, which I suspect he didn’t, but anyway, this is a sector to celebrate and we need to nurture it.