University applications drop leading to economy concerns

Wales will be at an “economic disadvantage” to other UK nations if it doesn’t increase the number of students going to university, according to the sector.

Universities Wales – which represents Wales’ nine institutions – said action was needed with latest admissions showing 32% of Welsh 18-year-olds applied to university in January, down a percentage point in a year, and compared with 40.6% across the UK.

Director Amanda Wilkinson said it was possible future generations may be less qualified than those before.

Higher education minister Vikki Howells said the Welsh government wanted to “make it easier for more young people to go to university” if they wanted.

On BBC Radio Wales’ Sunday Supplement programme, she went on to say it also supported young people in finding the “right route” for themselves, including apprenticeships.

Howells said she was confident the Welsh government could find alternative nursing places if Cardiff University goes ahead with proposals to close its course.

There had been a warning from union leaders this would threaten the supply of nurses at health boards.

But Howells said: “We’re confident that if Cardiff does go ahead with these unfortunate plans to cut their nursing school, we can reallocate those places to neighbouring institutions so that there’s no threat to the target of nurses that we’re looking to recruit.”

Universities Wales, which represents the nation’s higher education organisations, said UCAS figures also showed applications from mature students in Wales “continued to decline” and a widening participation gap between the least and most advantaged students in Wales.

“The industries that will drive our economic growth in the decades to come rely heavily on graduates,” said Ms Wilkinson.

“If Welsh people are not gaining these skills, Wales’ economy will find itself at an economic disadvantage compared to the rest of the UK where the proportion of graduates in the workforce will be higher.

“It will also result in a lack of opportunities for the people who would benefit from the transformative experience on offer at university.”

Howells said £1.5m had been invested in improving university participation, as well as increasing school attendance and attainment to “make sure that that we get those people ready for entrance to university”.

“We do need more graduates for the jobs of the future,” she said.

“We’re investing, for instance, in the Seren programme so that we can make that an equality-based approach so that young people who will have the potential to go to university and might not have considered it previously, can be encouraged to do so.”