University Dropout Rate

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:13 pm on 1 May 2018.

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Photo of Jenny Rathbone Jenny Rathbone Labour 2:13, 1 May 2018

The National Union of Students report 'Class dismissed: Getting in and getting on in further and higher education' is, I think, an important contribution to a debate that needs to concern us all, because, in light of these drop-out figures and the skills challenge that are posed by the fourth industrial revolution, we need to be raising the skills base of all our young people to respond to the uncertainties of the job market ahead. I'm somewhat concerned that we still have quite a big difference in the numbers of young people achieving degrees in Wales, compared with, for example, the south-east of England: 26.5 per cent in Wales compared with just over 32 per cent in the south-east of England. I just wondered how the Welsh Government can address this, because it's clearly amongst working class young people that we need to be getting them to take up further education.