CYPE report on routes into post-16 education and training

CYPE report on routes into post-16 education and training

The Senedd Children, Young People and Education Committee conducted an inquiry into routes into post-16 education and training, and published its written report in November 2025.

Response issued by Medr: 27 January 2026

Medr welcomes the Children, Young People and Education (CYPE) Committee report on Routes into post-16 education and training. The report, published on 12 November 2025, included 16 recommendations. We accept the findings and recommendations as they relate to Medr.

As the national steward of tertiary education and training in Wales, Medr is committed to shaping a tertiary education system in which everyone can acquire the skills and knowledge they need for a changing economy and society. We recognise that coherent, easy-to-navigate learning pathways and improved flexibility will facilitate increased participation and retention and give learners greater access to opportunities that enable them to thrive.

The creation of Medr, and the commitments we have set out in our Strategic Plan, contribute to making learner journeys more simple and flexible. Medr has a Strategic

Duty to promote lifelong learning and widening participation across the post-16 sector, including further education, apprenticeships, adult and community learning, higher education, and work-based‑ learning. This broad remit places Medr at the centre of delivering the report’s ambitions for a more coherent, flexible and collaborative post-16 sector that encourages learners to obtain education and skills via whichever educational pathway is right for them. We will do so by aligning our regulatory and funding frameworks and will continue to work with Welsh Government and partners across the post-16 sector to create a sector where learners can move confidently between pathways and access high-quality learning opportunities.

In our role overseeing a joined-up tertiary system, we are committed to building an understanding of learner behaviour and decision making, including through the effective use of data, so that we can identify the factors that drive learner choices and develop robust insight into learner journeys across the system. We are already making improvements to the breadth and timeliness of the data we publish, and through our Strategic and Operational Plans we have committed to strengthening the evidence base that underpins policy development and system stewardship. Central to this work is our commitment to working collaboratively with key stakeholders to further improve the breadth and timeliness of data, ensuring it supports a more coherent, responsive and learner focused tertiary education system.

Our response outlines the actions we are taking, or are planning to take, to address the findings relating to data, funding and policy reform, and sets out our contribution to the recommendations for Welsh Government where Medr can be expected to have a role.

Medr response to CYPE report on 'Routes into post-16 education and training'