ColegauCymru / CollegesWales has welcomed the appointment of Leighton Andrews as Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning, and of Lesley Griffiths as Deputy Minister for Skills.

Chief Executive of ColegauCymru / CollegesWales, Dr John Graystone, said: “At a time when continued investment in education and training is of critical importance because of the recession, we anticipate that Leighton Andrews' previous experience as Deputy Minister for Regeneration, working within both the Department for the Economy and Transport and the Department for Social Justice and Local Government, will serve him well.

“In addition, ColegauCymru / CollegesWales would very much like to welcome the appointment of Lesley Griffiths as Deputy Minister for Skills. Lesley has already developed a very good understanding of further education, both in a professional as well as a personal capacity. We are looking forward to working closely with her.”

There are major changes underway in post-16 education, and both Leighton Andrews and Lesley Griffiths will need to hit the ground running.

Waiting for them on their new desks are:

• The need for stability of further education funding – with college and school sixth form budgets due to be announced in January
• The Transformation of post-16 education, with five college mergers under consideration and consortia of work-based learning under development
• The ongoing review of Further Education Governance – which was chaired by John Griffiths as the previous Deputy Minister for Skills
• Implementation of the Learning and Skills (Wales) Measure across schools and colleges – which gives learners aged 14-19 a wider range of study choices, and which requires many changes inside and outside of government to effect institutional collaboration rather than competition between providers of post-16 education and training
• The Welsh Assembly Government's all-age Welsh-medium Education Strategy to be finalised, published and actioned
• The Welsh Assembly Government's newly published Strategy for Higher Education – in which further education colleges are identified as significant players
• The long-awaited Teachers Qualifications Framework for Wales that urgently needs moving from a draft into a working framework.

Dr John Graystone concluded: “ColegauCymru / CollegesWales is looking forward to establishing a strong working relationship with both Leighton Andrews and Lesley Griffiths. I'm sure they are both aware that there is no time to ease into the job gradually: there are a significant number of major initiatives on their desks waiting for decisions right now, and more following hot on their heels early in the New Year. We very much hope to meet the Minister and Deputy Minister at the earliest opportunity and get the ball rolling.”

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Contact: Sylvia Davies on 029 2052 8384 or 07968 771913.

Notes to editors:

1. ColegauCymru / CollegesWales is the new name for fforwm. It is a national educational charity that represents all 24 further education (FE) colleges and institutions in Wales. Its mission is to raise the profile of further education with key decision-makers to improve opportunities for learners in Wales. For further information about ColegauCymru / CollegesWales, and the colleges it represents, visit www.colegaucymru.ac.uk