TUC Cymru Congress calls for investment into Welsh education and learning.
• The TUC Cymru General Council also called on the Welsh Government to commit to safeguarding and increasing investment in the successful Wales Union Learning Fund allowing TUC Cymru to support even more workers to realise their full potential.
TUC Cymru Congress today (19 May) called for additional investment into Welsh education, stating that Welsh education needs to be fully funded to give Welsh children access to the education system they deserve.
The Congress noted that for many years there has been a funding gap between England and Wales, with Welsh education left underfunded at a time where the previous Welsh Government introduced a number of significant reforms including to the curriculum, qualifications, and Additional Learning Needs (ALN).
Delegates heard that 80% of respondents to an NEU survey believe that there aren’t enough resources available in schools and colleges to provide the education that students deserve. The survey also found that two thirds of respondents believe that student behaviour would be helped by increasing the number of support staff in the classroom and providing more support for students with ALN.
Delegates also agreed a statement from the TUC Cymru General Council calling for the Welsh Government to increase investment in the Wales Union Learning Fund (WULF).
WULF has supported the training of over 100,000 workers in the most recent three-year funding round and is on course to match this achievement in the current funding round.
WULF has a proven track record of delivering strong outcomes, with:
• 83% of participants reporting improved communication skills
• 80% reporting increased self-motivation
• 64% saying that their training has led to greater job satisfaction
• 23% of learners reported having a disability – showing the widening access of the WULF programme.
Linsey Imms, Joint-Acting General Secretary of TUC Cymru said:
“WULF is one of Wales’s quiet success stories – a programme rooted in our workplaces, delivered through our unions, and trusted by workers right across Wales.
“It is the only Welsh Government fund dedicated specifically to supporting people in work – helping them gain skills, build confidence, and improve their prospects.
“TUC Cymru looks forward to feeding into the new Welsh government’s National Skills Audit, and we are confident it will find that WULF delivers on their priority of training opportunities which are aligned with the real needs of Welsh employers and industries, and reflect future opportunities in the Welsh economy.”
Daniel Maney, Senior Wales Organiser, NEU said:
“NEU Cymru is looking forward to working with the new Welsh Government, but our members are clear in what is required from them – the next Welsh Government needs to fully fund the education system in Wales, trust the workforce and end child poverty.
“The next Welsh Government has an opportunity now to make education a priority, support the workforce, and make sure young people can reach their full potential.
Full education and WULF asks include:
• Invest in the Wales education service;
• Evaluate the true cost of education in Wales and fully fund it; therefore realising the promise of the Curriculum for Wales, so children and young people have access to the education system they deserve
• Ring fence education funding to Local Authorities to ensure that the money is spent on education at the point of delivery
• Fully fund an above inflation pay-rise
• Restore pay levels for teachers, lecturers and support staff, prevent them leaving the profession, and introduce collective bargaining with the workforce.
• End the damaging cycle of redundancy in schools and colleges.
• Dismantle Local Management of Schools
• Investigate the waste of public funds in Local Authorities through poor employment processes such as extended suspensions and failed tribunals
• Fully fund ALN reform
• Ensure every pupil has access to the support they need.
• Fully fund a qualified teacher in every classroom
• Make sure supply teachers have access to schoolteachers’ pay and conditions – including pensions.
Event: TUC Cymru Congress will take place at Venue Cymru, Llandudno between 19 and 21 May. Press are able to attend with prior notice.
Spokesperson: Available upon request.
About TUC Cymru: TUC Cymru is the voice of Wales at work.
We’re creating a Wales where everyone has a voice through their union and an income they can build a life on. We believe that every worker has the right to be safe, valued and respected.
When workers act collectively, we have the power to create positive change in society. We bring workers together through 48 unions to fight for better jobs and a more equal and prosperous country.
Contacts:
Matt Hexter
mhexter@tuc.org.uk
07528170583