Widening participation and transforming lives: What works?

The wicked problem of widening participation.

Despite years of increasing and widening participation strategies, there is evidence of widening inequality gaps and growing divergences in educational opportunities and outcomes across countries. In every country where data is available, participation in higher levels of education continues to be unequal from a social background perspective.

A recent report says Wales experiences ’lower levels of education participation and outcomes amongst young people‘ than elsewhere in the UK and the participation gap has increased over the years. This is evidenced by the high and increasing share of young people who are not in education, employment or training in Wales … [and] low levels of higher education participation, with Welsh boys having the lowest levels of higher education participation. This is visible in lower shares of young people achieving A level or equivalent qualifications, degree level qualifications and lower labour market outcomes for young people in Wales.

Yet, to be able to respond to the ongoing transformational changes brought by the digital and green transitions, Wales will require more and more people with a least a Level 4-6 QCFW qualification. This is a considerable step change from the 41.4% of people who do so today.

Wales must consider how well prepared the tertiary education system is to meet the tasks set by the Welsh Government for ’A More Equal Wales’ and to ‘continue and intensify work on widening participation and take steps to ensure a more equitable and excellent system for all.’

Widening participation and improving outcomes

The Wales Centre for Public Policy (WCPP) is to be congratulated on calling out the wicked problem of inequality in educational opportunities and outcomes for Medr’s attention. So how will the evidence and proposals presented in Understanding inequity in Tertiary Education in Wales and Widening Participation in Tertiary Education help Medr address these issues?

Understanding inequity in Tertiary Education in Wales reconfirms many studies that show inequalities across society are highly correlated with unequal access to education. And, access to higher levels of education is strongly correlated with, inter alia, socio-economic and parental occupation, race/ethnicity, disability, deprivation and gender, and are firmly embedded/reproduced by societal structures, including education beginning from an early age. To what extent is further education (FE) and higher education (HE) part of the problem or part of the solution?

Download the full thinkpiece here

An edited version of Professor Hazelkorn’s thinkpiece was published by Times Higher Education.

Professor Hazelkorn authored the report that helped to establish Medr, the body that now oversees all tertiary education in Wales.