4. What engagement has the Minister had with Bridgend College on plans for campus development? OQ58034

My officials in the sustainable communities for learning programme team are actively involved in discussions with Bridgend College about this development, and I am delighted, personally, that the college is proposing to accelerate delivery of a future pipeline project, which could both improve its educational offer and support the regeneration of Bridgend town centre.

Well, I really welcome that, and the Minister has been a good friend to the college, and has met Simon Pirotte on several occasions recently, and has seen the STEAM Academy development in Pencoed, which, I have to say, is a Wales leader in bringing together engineering technology, the creative arts and others on one campus, and it is an absolutely superb development for those young people—young people and older people of all ages from throughout the Bridgend area. And, I have to say, Sarah Murphy has visited there with me as well, and others have been there. We've very excited about that, but we're also excited, I have to say, about future plans, including within our biggest local town, which is of course Bridgend, and what that could do not just for the young people of Bridgend, but also for urban renewal as well. So, will he commit to working with Simon Pirotte and the fantastic team that he has, and Bridgend County Borough Council, to bring Welsh Government's heft to that as well so that we make sure that we maximise the impact for young people and old people throughout the area, for lifelong learning and skills but also for town-centre regeneration as well?

Well, I'll take the opportunity, if I may, to compliment Huw Irranca-Davies and Sarah Murphy on their commitment to the work of the college, the support that you both provide for it, and for the further education offer in your constituencies as well. On both occasions I've been to the college in the last year, you've both been there, and it's been fantastic to see the level of community support for the work of the college.

The programme team in Welsh Government are working closely now with the college to identify what the funding requirements would be, and we're very supportive of the strategic proposal that the college has in this area. I believe it's also a brownfield site that they're looking at, so that's also very positive, for obvious reasons. Why I think it's exciting is, obviously, it strengthens the college's education offer, which we would all support, but also, I think, delivers on that mission that is so important to all FE colleges, which is supporting the local economy, encouraging footfall into the centre of the town, providing that local economic halo, if you like, around its activities, and I think that's also an exciting part of the proposal.

Minister, Bridgend council's website says,

'As well as illustrating the ambitious plans of Bridgend College for expanding and improving the quality and range of learning and training opportunities within the county borough, it also demonstrates how the council's regeneration masterplan is trying to work alongside key partners to deliver significant and long-term positive change for the town centre.'

This is an excellent example of major education providers being seen as an anchor in an economic regeneration scheme, so I'm also excited. However, for this to work, the college and the council need to ensure that those students who live beyond the town centre in some of the surrounding Valleys communities are able to access this via public transport. What discussions has the Minister had with the college, Bridgend council and neighbouring councils about the challenge of public transport to maximise the benefits of the campus expansion, not forgetting active travel?

Yes, I think that's a really important point. Everything I know from having visited the college—and I was delighted to be able to officially open the STEAM Academy, actually, in Pencoed campus—is that the college has a real focus, actually, on making sure it's accessible to its students, obviously, but also to the community that it serves at large. There's a strong sense of mission, I think, in relation to that. So, I would expect that the priorities that Altaf Hussain has indicated in his question very much should be heart and centre of their considerations in relation to this. I think the proposed plan is itself a catalyst for economic regeneration, and I think the impact of that will be most broadly felt if the priorities that he's identified in his question are met, as I'm sure they will be.