Medr to provide almost £5 million for 12 collaborative projects across Wales

Twelve projects across Wales are set to benefit from £4.75 million of Medr funding to explore new ways of working across tertiary education institutions and geographical boundaries, leading to a more coherent and collaborative sector.

The Strategic Development Fund was announced in October by Medr, who fund and regulate the tertiary sector in Wales, to encourage greater collaboration and support projects which contribute towards at least one of Medr’s strategic aims. Applications were invited from universities, further education colleges, local authorities or apprenticeship providers funded directly by Medr, with scope to collaborate with others more widely as lead partners.

There was considerable interest from across Wales and, following a robust evaluation, the projects successful in receiving funding are:

Lead	Partners	Project
Coleg Cambria	Wrexham University	North East Wales Skills Partnership Advanced Skills Hub – delivering short courses to address regional skills shortages in digital, green skills, emerging technologies, advanced manufacturing and public sector.
NPTC Group of Colleges	Four colleges; work based learning providers; and industry partners	Celtic Freeport Partnership – a regional Curriculum Transformation Project for Clean Energy.
Cardiff Council	Cardiff and Vale College, St David’s Catholic Sixth Form College and Vale of Glamorgan Council	Unlocking Post-16 Potential – developing a unified post-16 education offer through collaborative delivery across multiple partners in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan.
Cardiff Metropolitan University	Bridgend College and ALS training	Flexible Tertiary Pathways for Upskilling and Reskilling Learners in Wales – piloting the delivery of micro-credentials for the fintech and creative industries in the Cardiff Capital Region.
University of South Wales	Bridgend College, Cardiff and Vale, Coleg Y Cymoedd, Coleg Gwent, The College, Merthyr Tydfil and Screen Alliance Wales	Addressing Skills Gaps and Labour Shortages in key employment areas – a cohesive, integrated approach to engaging potential learners in areas of economic need.
Wrexham University	Bangor University, Coleg Cambria and Grŵp Llandrillo Menai	Llwybrau Llwyddiant / Pathways to Success – improving learner participation and progression rates through further education to higher education by promoting careers and educational opportunities to learners.
St David’s Catholic Sixth Form College	Catholic Archdiocese of Cardiff-Menevia and Catholic Education Service (CES)	The National Catholic College – to formalise the National College structure as a collaborative network of Catholic post-16 providers, led by St David’s, and widening access to non-Catholic and rural institutions, particularly those with limited A-level choice or capacity.
Gower College Swansea	Pembrokeshire College, Coleg Gwent, Stable and Microsoft	National Centre for Digital Skills – training teaching staff to deliver industry recognised digital technology qualifications and developing a digital collaboration hub, hosted by the National Centre for Digital Skills, to meet demand within technology-enabled roles and facilitate stronger employer partnerships across Welsh industries.
The Open University in Wales	Open University in Wales; Learning and Work Institute; Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council; Trivallis Housing Association; Adult Learning Wales; ALS Training Ltd; University of South Wales;  TUC Cymru	Pathways – using a model by the Learning and Work Institute, this project will focus on co-designing a widening participation pathway which has the learner at its heart and tests an assessment and referral model.
Coleg Gwent	Open University in Wales	Gain4Growth Wales: Empowering Learners, Elevating Outcomes – building on a successful Quality Assurance Agency project, piloting a collaborative, pan-Wales programme to strengthen outcomes, academic support and skills development for students enrolled on undergraduate programmes delivered within college-based higher education environments.
Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council	Multiple Welsh Schools	Cyfleoedd+ – to enhance strategic leadership, learner choice and experience for Welsh-medium post-16 education across Rhondda Cynon Taf and Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr County Borough Councils.
University of South Wales	Cardiff University; Swansea University; Bangor University; Wrexham University; Aberystwyth University; Cardiff Metropolitan University; University of Wales Trinity Saint David; Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama	Business case for the development for a Wales HE procurement shared service and establishment of an associated shared service entity – The project requires funding for the development of a detailed business case for a HE Wales shared procurement service.

James Owen, Chief Executive of Medr said:

“As one of the first tertiary education bodies in the world, it’s fantastic news that we have been able to support a range of innovative, collaborative projects for the benefit of learners across Wales.

“We were impressed with the range, ambition and quality of the proposals we received and look forward to evaluating the impact of the successful projects.  

“The projects also demonstrate the appetite for greater collaboration, helping to unlock the potential of a sector that is greater than the sum of its parts.”

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Vikki Howells said:

“Medr was established in 2024 with a clear mandate to deliver for learners and maximise the opportunities that come from regulating and funding across the post-16 sector. Supporting more effective collaboration across tertiary providers is a key objective for Medr to deliver.

“These projects show exactly what that approach can achieve: universities, colleges and local authorities working together to create new opportunities for learners right across Wales. I look forward to seeing the results of these partnerships.” 

Post-16 Strategic Development Fund – successful bids