National Assembly for Wales Finance Committee Inquiry into preparations for replacing EU funding for Wales Consultation Responses June 2018 www.assembly.wales *Ar gael yn Gymraeg /Available in Welsh EUF 01 Cyngor y Gweithlu Addysg Education Workforce Council EUF 02 Undeb Cenedlaethol Addysg Cymru National Education Union Cymru EUF 03 Sefydliad y Peirianwyr Sifil Cymru Institute of Civil Engineers EUF 04 Gofal Cymdeithasol Cymru Social Care Wales EUF 05 Colegau Cymru Colleges Wales EUF 06 Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru Arts Council of Wales EUF 07 Cyngor Gweithredu Gwirfoddol Welsh Council for Voluntary Action Cymru EUF 08 Prifysgolion Cymru Universities Wales EUF 09 Cyngor Gweithredu Gwirfoddol National Farmers Union Cymru Cymru EUF 10 Cymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Welsh Local Government Association Cymru EUF 11 GIG Cymru Cyfarwyddwyr Cyllid NHS Wales Directors of Finance EUF 12 Prifysgol Caerdydd Cardiff University EUF 13 Parciau Cenedlaethol Cymru National Parks Wales EUF 14 Cymdeithas Tir a Busnes Cefn Country Land and Business Gwlad Cymru Association EUF 15 Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Blaenau Blaenau Gwent County Borough Gwent Council EUF 16 Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Hywel Dda Hywel Dda University Health Board EUF 17 Ffederasiwn Cenedlaethol yr National Federation of Self Employed Hunangyflogedig a Busnesau Bach and Small Businesses Wales Cymru EUF 18 Cynghrair Cymunedau Diwydiannol Industrial Communities Alliance Wales Cymru EUF 19 Sefydliad Siartredig Cyllid Chartered Institute of Public Finance Cyhoeddus a Chyfrifyddiaeth and Accountancy EUF 20 Yr Athro Janet Dwyer, Prifysgol Professor Janet Dwyer, University of Gloucester Gloucester EUF 21 Y Sefydliad Astudiaethau Cyllid Institute for Fiscal Studies EUF 22 Undeb Amaethwyr Cymru Farmers' Union of Wales EUF 23 Y Sefydliad Cynllunio Trefol Royal Town Planning Institute Wales Brenhinol yng Nghymru EUF 24 Chwarae Teg Chwarae Teg EUF 25 Comisiynydd y Gymraeg Welsh Language Commissioner EUF 26 Fforwm Cydraddoldeb ac Equality and Diversity Forum Amrywiaeth EUF 27 Sefydliad Bevan Bevan Foundation EUF 28 Comisiwn Cydraddoldeb ac Hawliau Equality and Human Rights Dynol Commission EUF 29 Yr Athro Steve Fothergill, Prifysgol Professor Steve Fothergill, Sheffield Sheffield Hallam Hallam University Pwyllgor Cyllid | Finance Committee Y Paratoadau ar gyfer yr hyn a fydd yn Disodli Ffrydiau Cyllido'r UE | Preparations for Replacing EU Funding Cyngor y Gweithlu Addysg | Education Workforce Council 9fed Llawr 9th Floor Eastgate House Eastgate House 35-43 Ffordd Casnewydd 35-43 Newport Road Caerdydd Cardiff CF24 0AB CF24 0AB Ffôn: 029 20460099 Tel: 029 20460099 Ffacs: 029 20475850 Fax: 029 20475850 Committee Clerk Finance Committee National Assembly for Wales Cardiff Bay CF99 1NA 14 March 2018 Dear colleagues Consultation on preparations for replacing EU funding for Wales The Education Workforce Council (EWC) is the professional regulatory body for the education workforce in Wales, covering teachers and learning support staff in school and further education settings, work based learning practitioners and youth / youth support workers. The EWC Register includes 80,000 registrants. Under EU Directive 2005/36/EC, the Education Workforce Council is the “competent authority” in Wales, with responsibility to assess the professional status of persons from EU countries seeking to have their qualifications recognised in Wales, and in turn be afforded “Qualified Teacher Status” in Wales. This remit relates to school teachers only. At its peak in 2013-14, the Council received around 100 such applications, however this figure has now fallen to around 40 per year. The Council will require clarification from the Home Office as to whether this scheme will continue to apply following Britain’s exit from the EU. Depending on the decision, the EWC and Welsh Government may need to develop alternative arrangements for persons from Europe who wish to have their existing qualifications recognised in order to teach in Wales, rather than retraining. In this regard, it is worth acknowledging that qualified teachers from countries outside the EU who wish to teach in Wales on a permanent basis already need to gain a teaching qualification here and are unable to have their existing qualifications recognised. If I can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me. This information has previously been provided to the External Affairs and Additional Legislation Committee. Yours sincerely Hayden Llewellyn Chief Executive Cadeirydd/Chairperson: Angela Jardine Prif Weithredwr/Chief Executive: Hayden Llewellyn Pwyllgor Cyllid | Finance Committee Y Paratoadau ar gyfer yr hyn a fydd yn Disodli Ffrydiau Cyllido'r UE | Preparations for Replacing EU Funding Undeb Cenedlaethol Addysg Cymru | National Education Union Cymru Chair, David Rees AM External Affairs and Additional Legislation Committee National Assembly for Wales Cardiff Bay CF99 1NA 1st February 2018 Dear Chair, Wales’ future relationship with the European Union Thank you for the opportunity to feed in to your recent Stakeholder Event on the above consolation. As stated at that event, there are a range of challenges facing the education sector, in light of the planned exit of the European Union. We have set out some of those below. The 21st Century Schools and Education Programme The 21st Century schools programme has already helped to upgrade, and in some cases entirely rebuild, the school and college estate in Wales. According to the European Commission website, this Public Private Partnership (PPP) will bring significant European funds to the next phase; a further “£500m/630m to build new school and college facilities in Wales” from January 2019 until 2024.1 We would wish to seek clarification of where alternative funding will be sourced to replace this once we leave the EU, as many of our school and college estate would benefit from work. Further (and Higher) Education Whilst we don’t organise in the Higher Education (HE) sector, we do have some members teaching HE courses in an Further Education (FE) setting. As already mentioned, the FE estate receives ESF to help rebuild aging campuses. The FE sector also benefits from Erasmus+ funding, helping to support students and staff to visit countries in the EU and share good practice and learning. One of our members who is a manager in FE said: 1 https://ec.europa.eu/eipp/desktop/en/projects/project‐134.html 1 “FE utilises Erasmus for students and staff mobility and this is going to be a real loss to us. ESF work allows us to focus on areas that general funding does not. How are we to carry these necessary areas out without the focused funding? If it goes into a general pot there is a risk it will be swallowed up and not happen!” Adult learning in the wider sense also supports people back into work and to gain qualifications which they would otherwise be unable to obtain. European Social Funds and European Structural Funds work schemes have support project since 2007 to: Supported 229,110 people to gain qualifications Helped 72,700 people into work Created 36,970 (gross) jobs and 11,925 enterprises £85m for 33,000 apprenticeships and 12,000 traineeships across Wales at employers including Airbus, Admiral and GE Aviation £2.1m to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths among young people through the STEM Cymru project Research and Innovation WEFO currently has currently got a funding call out for ERDF ‘accelerating world-class collaboration in research and innovation’2. Our members in the post-compulsory sector would be concerned about opportunities for students to study good quality courses close to home, should there be a withdrawal of funds from this sector. We realise some of the changes planned in the Tertiary Education and Research Commission for Wales (TERCW) are meant to mitigate some impacts on the post-compulsory sector. However, structures alone will not be enough. Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) TTIP was a major concern for us as a union, and animated many of our members about the concerns which it raised. In short, whilst we recognise that the UK will be looking to undertake trade negotiations outside of the European Union, once leaving, we would be very concerned should anything mirror some of the concerns which TTIP threw up. 2 http://gov.wales/funding/eu‐funds/2014‐2020/?lang=en 2 In short, TTIP is a threat to education because it includes education within the negotiated ‘services’ sector, and limits what the UK Government, let alone the Welsh Government, can do: “[TTIP] is bad for democracy because TTIP seeks to put the interests of transnational companies above citizens and democratic structures, such as local authorities and the national regulations, laws and courts. The proposed 'Regulatory Cooperation Council' is an example of this. It is designed to give business an 'early warning' of new regulations in the EU before they become law – so that business can challenge them. This has been referred to by campaigners as an institutionalisation of corporate lobbying in the EU. National government will likely have reduced ability to determine to what extent education can be a public service, and to set and regulate standards. Regulatory standards are essential for governance, accountability and probity, but local government procurement policies in support of social or environmental goals might be deemed a barrier to free trade. For instance, our ability to set social priorities, such as ensuring equal opportunity for all using the 2010 Equalities Act, could