Diolch, Llywydd. Amendment 33 adjusts the Welsh Ministers’ power under section 91 of the Bill to fund a limited range of higher education courses so as to enable them to provide resources themselves or to make arrangements with other persons, either individually or jointly, to fund the provision of relevant courses in the same manner as currently provided for under the Learning and Skills Act 2000. Higher education courses that may be funded include those in preparation for professional examinations at higher level, for example courses that are not degrees and lead to qualifications accredited by professional bodies. These could include qualifications relevant to health and social care or industry-specific qualifications that meet a social need or improve employment prospects.

This amendment ensures alignment of the Welsh Ministers’ power under section 91 with their powers to fund further education and training under section 96 of the Bill. Taken together, these powers will allow the Welsh Government to continue to fund employability interventions in the same manner as at present. This amendment is required as it is anticipated the Welsh Ministers may need to rely on section 91 of the Bill to fund certain courses at levels 4 and 5 of the credit and qualifications framework for Wales within the Welsh Government’s employability programmes. Some aspects of these programmes may be funded through arrangements with third parties.

Amendments 32 and 34 are consequential to amendment 33. I reject amendments 90 to 95 and strongly recommend Members to do so as well. These amendments seek to limit the Welsh Ministers’ powers under sections 96, 99 and 102 of the Bill, which are powers the Welsh Ministers will hold concurrently with the commission. These powers will enable the Welsh Ministers to secure financial resources in respect of further education and training, the undertaking of eligibility tests in relation to their powers under section 96(1)(d) or (e), and for activities connected to tertiary education. A key purpose of retaining these funding powers for the Welsh Ministers relates to the new employability and skills plan, which confirmed that all Welsh Government-led employability programmes will be delivered directly by the Welsh Government, under a new single operating model from 2023 onwards.  

Employability programmes vary. For instance, Communities for Work delivers community engagement activities and mentoring services. The one thing most employability programmes have in common is that they are focused on gaining employment and removing barriers to employment. The amendments seek to limit the exercise of the Welsh Ministers’ powers to deliver employability arrangements. This approach is impractical and would create difficulties for the exercise of the Welsh Ministers’ funding functions and would probably give rise to unintended consequences, which would impact negatively on the people of Wales we are seeking to support through those programmes.

The Welsh Government is best placed to directly manage inter-governmental relations on employability programmes and to work with UK Government and others to shape a co-ordinated response in Wales within its current powers. The Welsh Ministers need flexibility in the application of their funding powers relating to further education and training, to eligibility arrangements and the provision of advice, information and guidance relating to employability interventions. Amendments 91 to 95 would remove this flexibility. I should say also that, as drafted, in addition, the amendments would not be futureproofed against changes to the Welsh Government's website domain.

Retaining these funding powers will also enable the Welsh Ministers to fund certain interventions and pilots, an example of which includes junior apprenticeships. These are a 14 to 16 intervention that support disengaged learners by allowing early access to vocational learning routes at their local college. This is primarily funded by the schools budget, but does include top-up funding directly from the Welsh Ministers to further education providers. I therefore call on Members to support the amendments tabled in my name and to reject all of the other amendments.