Further education is typically education that is carried out after compulsory education has been completed and before higher education is started. This is anything from AS Levels, A Levels to vocational qualifications. The majority of people that are in further education are aged between 16 and 19 and can achieve their qualifications from taking a full-time or part-time course. Further education is seen as second chance education and is put in place to fulfil one’s potential. Further education colleges are independent and are run by trustees or governors. Funding of further education is provided by the Department for Education and Skills. The aim is to prepare students for working life and to support industry and also to prepare them for higher education. Colleges have a different approach to school and is not compulsory. Students attend college at their own will in order for them to further their knowledge in the world of work that they desire.
According to Colegau Cymru (2011), there are 17 further education colleges and 2 further education institutions in Wales. Some colleges specify in vocational subjects whereas others focus more on A Level subjects. Each college across Wales vary in the amount of students that choose to study there and the amount of subjects you can gain qualifications from. Problems within further education colleges arise when students remove themselves before receiving any qualifications, causing potential waste. Mergers between further education institutes happen to either create a new one or to maintain the identity of one of one of the original organisations. It is done to improve the general function of the college and has hopes that it will work better together than they have done alone. A recent merger happened in South Wales between Swansea College and Gorseinon College and became Gower College Swansea. Mergers are very expensive and are mainly done for the long-term benefits they bring. Mergers need to be well prepared in order for them to be successful. The higher the amount of students at a college, the more funding the college has. However, over the last few years funding has been stricter and has seen a massive 1.6% pay cut. Statistics from the Welsh Government website show that in 2010/2011, there were 240,370 learners at FE institutions, a reduction of 0.6% on 2009/2010. Full-time learners at FE institutions rose by 3.8% whereas part-time learning declined by 1.3% and of learning activities with known qualification levels, the proportion at level 3 rose by 3%.
The Welsh Government website states that they plan to use £750,000 to increase Welsh-medium courses in further education. The money will allow five extra colleges to join the Bilingual Champions Scheme. The aim is to increase the number of modules and courses available to learners through the medium of Welsh. Leighton Andrews says,
“Extending this scheme will develop and strengthen Welsh-medium provision in further education in line with the target set in the Welsh Government’s Welsh-medium Education Strategy. It also supports our new Welsh Language Strategy which aims to create more opportunities for people to use Welsh in every aspect of their lives.”
One of the main purposes of further education is to underpin social justice. Everyone has the right to attend further education and each one has equal opportunities regardless of race and gender. Another reason to attend further education is to support the economy. The more people learn, the more jobs there will be and the more qualifications you receive, the more economic opportunities you have.
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