The Skills Gap

Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Education and Welsh Language – in the Senedd at 2:53 pm on 8 February 2023.

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Photo of Jeremy Miles Jeremy Miles Labour 2:53, 8 February 2023

I look forward to the debate that we're going to have in the forthcoming weeks in relation to education maintenance allowance, in particular. He will know from my previous appearances at these questions and in the discussions we've had that the real pressure on budgets has meant that we've not been able to increase education maintenance allowance, but we are very happy to have been able to maintain it, which hasn't been the case across other parts of the UK, as he will know. I have also been very pleased to be able to increase the funding available to further education colleges in relation to the financial contingency fund, which, as he knows, is available to support students in further education who are facing particular pressures. I think it's very important that we do everything we can to support students in that position in the way that I know that he does as well. He will also recall that we have, over the last couple of years, sharply increased the funding available to further education colleges in order to be able to offer that broader range of skills that he sets out in his question, and which I agree with him are very, very important.