Prime Highlights:
- Cardiff Council, Vale of Glamorgan Council, Cardiff and Vale College, and St David’s Catholic Sixth Form College will collaborate on a new project to create a more inclusive, accessible, and learner-focused post 16 education system.
- The project aims to improve pathways for young people and adults, widen access, and strengthen teaching quality across sixth forms, colleges, apprenticeships, and adult learning.
Key Facts:
- The initiative received £566,000 from Medr’s Strategic Development Fund to support system-wide improvements in post 16 education.
- A bilingual digital platform will later be developed to bring all post 16 options together in one accessible database, helping learners make informed choices.
Background:
A new project aimed at transforming post 16 education across Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan has received £566,000 from Medr’s Strategic Development Fund. The initiative will create a more inclusive, accessible, and learner-focused education system for young people and adults.
Led by Cardiff Council in partnership with Vale of Glamorgan Council, Cardiff and Vale College, and St David’s Catholic Sixth Form College, the project, titled “Unlocking Post 16 Potential: Delivering Equitable Access Through Collaborative Provision Across Cardiff and the Vale” will design a unified approach to post 16 education. The goal is to put learners at the center of decision-making while improving equity, inclusion, and long-term sustainability.
The project aligns with Cardiff Council’s Education Investment Strategy, which seeks to work closely with further and higher education providers, the Welsh Government, and employers to meet learners’ aspirations and future skills needs.
At the start of the project, a governance board will be created, and current post 16 education will be reviewed. Feedback from schools and colleges will help improve teaching, widen access, and create better learning pathways.
Later phases plan to introduce a bilingual digital platform, combining all post 16 options into one accessible database. This will help learners make informed decisions and allow planners to align offerings with local skills and employment needs.
Cardiff’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Education, Cllr Sarah Merry, said the funding “endorses our shared ambition to create a post 16 system that is inclusive, coherent, and centered on learners.” She added that the project will remove barriers and widen access to learning opportunities.
Sharon James-Evans, Principal of Cardiff and Vale College, said the project is “a great chance to create a clearer, fairer, and future-ready system.” Representatives from the Vale of Glamorgan Council and St David’s Catholic Sixth Form College also highlighted how the project will improve learning pathways, help under-represented students, and support the region’s long-term growth.
The project will work to keep more students in learning, boost participation in Welsh-medium education, and offer wider, more flexible options, leaving a lasting positive effect on post 16 education in Cardiff and the Vale.
