The Bill places duties on the commission to: promote lifelong learning; to promote equality of opportunity; continuous improvement in tertiary education and research; to encourage participation in tertiary education; to contribute to a sustainable and innovative economy; to promote collaboration and coherence in tertiary education and research; to promote tertiary education through the medium of Welsh; to promote a civic mission and a global outlook.

Now, I don't claim a new radicalism in the purpose of these nine duties, on the contrary, they draw on our rich history of widening access to quality education, Welsh internationalism and civic mission. However, it is radical to give them purpose in law, as the lodestar for the new commission and for our tertiary education sector as a whole. They provide a clarity of purpose, ensuring a relentless focus on the success and well-being of learners, of all ages, across all settings and in all communities.

The Welsh Government will be required to prepare and publish a statement setting out the national strategic priorities for tertiary education, research and innovation, which, in conjunction with the strategic duties, will guide the commission’s own strategic plan and how it functions and allocates funding. The commission, working with the sector, will then shape the system through investment, by connecting providers and sharing information, enabling it to take a strategic view and ensure learners grow as engaged, enterprising and educated citizens of Wales.

The Bill sets out the governance of the commission. Crucially, the board will include representation of learners, but also the tertiary education workforce and the commission’s own staff as associate members, reflecting our commitment to social partnership.

Much of the primary legislation in relation to higher and further education in Wales is decades old; it pre-dates democratic devolution, higher education expansion, significant recent changes in economic and career patterns and the revolution in technology that continues to influence the way we learn, live and work, and, of course, before we could have possibly imagined the sort of challenges brought on by COVID-19.

Llywydd, it is time to grasp the opportunity to change. If we are serious, as this Government is, about narrowing educational inequalities, expanding opportunities and raising standards, then we must break down barriers, secure easier learner pathways and continue to invest in research and innovation.

If we take apprenticeships as an example, our ambition for a system responsive to the needs of learners, the economy and employers is hampered by current legislation. Frankly, we are too dependent on Westminster legislation from over a decade ago, which does not cater to the distinct needs of our economy or society. Therefore, for the first time in Wales, this Bill provides a stand-alone power for the commission to fund apprenticeships in the same way as other tertiary education. The Bill reforms the process for the design and oversight of our apprenticeship frameworks, creating the opportunity for a more responsive and collaborative system.

Turning to governance, our institutions have argued for more flexibility and less bureaucracy; it's a reasonable ask. In turn, the Bill requires the commission to create a new registration model for tertiary education. The new model will be a flexible mechanism for accountable, but proportionate, oversight of the sector. None of what we value most highly in our respected institutions will be lost, but much of the bureaucracy will.

The Bill enables the commission to fund registered providers for research and innovation activities, as well as other organisations collaborating with them. We'll move to a fully integrated sector-wide planning and funding system, with more effective targeting of resources. This is made possible by having a clear, co-ordinated and coherent system.

The Bill enables the commission to ensure that Welsh tertiary education continues to be of the highest quality, and to create a consistent quality-based approach through shared principles and collaboration.

We also need to secure continuous investment in workforce professional development. For this reason, we are empowering the commission to give advice and assistance to providers regarding quality improvement, including the learning and development of the workforce.

The learner engagement code requires providers to address how they will involve learners in decisions on all aspects related to their learning, interests and concerns. What’s more, by including learner representatives on its board, the commission will practise what it preaches. 

The establishment of the commission will, for the first time, provide Wales with a national steward to oversee the whole of the tertiary education sector. The arrangements we are putting in place through this Bill will help shape a diverse and dynamic sector that supports learners throughout their lives, delivering for communities, employers and the nation as a whole. I look forward to the contributions and collective efforts of Senedd Members in taking this significant Bill on its parliamentary journey.