Learning that aims to develop subject specific or general knowledge and skills, rather than being directly related to a specific vocation.
Access courses are designed to prepare students who do not have standard entry qualifications for higher education courses.
Government money given to universities and colleges via the UK HE funding councils to assist students in financial difficulty with their living costs. Funds may be used to provide bursaries for students who might be deterred from entering higher education. They can also be used to waive tuition fees for part-time students on benefits, or who become unemployed during their course.
The process through which institutions and individuals are expected to demonstrate the fulfillment of their obligations, including the proper use of public funds.
Accreditation is the approval of a higher education course by an authorized body.
Learning that is provided in community venues and which is designed to reach out to places and people that other forma of learning do not reach Traditionally ACL caters mainly for adults and is usually non-vocational; it is part of Further Education.
In the Annual Population Survey, an adult learner is someone aged 16 and over who has participated in some taught and/or non-taught adult learning over the last year.
The ABI is an annual business survey which collects data from a sample of businesses to generate estimates of employment and business establishments by industry and geography. ABI figures do not include the self-employed. Data units in the ABI do not readily correspond to the commonly used terms: firms, companies or businesses by which employers are sometimes identified. They are roughly equivalent to workplaces but because of the way the data are collected two or more units can be present in the same workplace. For example, a bank may have several branches and offices in a city, each one of these would be counted as a separate data unit.
A residence based labour market survey encompassing population, economic activity (employment, self-employment and unemployment), economic inactivity and qualifications. These are broken down where possible by gender, age, ethnicity, industry and occupation.
Work-based learning programmes combining paid employment with on-the-job and off-the-job learning. Modern Apprenticeships are available at National Qualifications Framework (NQF) level 3 and Foundation Modern Apprenticeships at NQF level 2.
The ability to read, write, or speak in English or Welsh and to use mathematics at a level necessary to function and progress both in work and in society.
A process through which practices are analysed to provide a standard measurement ('benchmark') of effective performance within an organisation (such as a university). Benchmarks are also used to compare performance with other organisations and other sectors.
Bursaries (and scholarships) are financial help for students primarily from poorer backgrounds that are aimed at easing the transition into higher education and help them successfully complete their studies. Most are means-tested, but some are based on other criteria such as academic merit.
A count of all people and households in the UK population, conducted every 10 years (most recently undertaken in 2001).
City Strategy is a DWP/Jobcentre Plus initiative operating in 15 pathfinder areas in the UK. The initiative is managed through local consortia who deliver locally-designed services focused on the particular needs of local areas. There are two City Strategy pathfinders in Wales: Rhyl and Heads of the Valleys.
A measure of unemployment which is a full count of the number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance each month.
A programme designed to improve living conditions and prospects for people in the most disadvantaged communities across Wales, by developing their capacity to make decisions and run local projects.
Communities Next is the next phase of the Communities First programme, which will mobilise and enable local people to contribute to the regeneration of their communities in practical ways, in line with their local priorities.
A general term for arrangements between two or more institutions (universities, higher education colleges or further education colleges) for joint activity.
A range of short and long training programmes, some of which have an option of accreditation, which foster the development of employment- related knowledge, skills and understanding.
A way of recognising skills and qualifications in Wales, based on volume and level of learning. The framework includes regulated qualifications, higher education, and quality-assured lifelong learning. The CQFW will include the new Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF).
The formal education offered by learning providers. A revised curriculum for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales was implemented in September 2008.
UK legislation setting out the rights of disabled people not to encounter unjustified discrimination in society on account of a disability.
An independent body established to eliminate discrimination against disabled people and to promote equality of opportunity.
An allowance for disabled students in Higher Education.
The bodies and organisations with which we work to achieve our outcomes.
A broad term to describe the range of visible and invisible differences between people and institutions. It can mean the varieties of learners with different backgrounds, requiring varied methods of entry to courses and of instruction. It is also used to describe the variety of provision available in the higher education sector and the different types of institution which deliver it.
Those of working age who are in work or actively seeking work (i.e. measures the number of people in employment plus unemployed).
People who are not in employment or seeking work. Some economically inactive people may be students, carers, or suffering from a long-term sickness. However, economic inactivity is also concentrated amongst low-skilled and older people.
The delivery of content via electronic media, such as the internet, video, interactive TV and CD-ROM. e-Learning encompasses all learning undertaken, whether formal or informal, through electronic delivery.
The transferable core skills that represent functional and enabling knowledge, skills, and attitudes required in today's workplace. They are necessary for career success at all levels of employment and for all levels of education. They include knowledge, behaviours and attitudes that help people gain employment.
Proportion of working age residents who are in employment (full-time, part-time or self employed).
English language courses for speakers of Other Languages or English as a Second or Other Language.
Creating and implementing new ideas and new ways of doing things.
Creating a new business venture, taking a risk in pursuit of a financial return.
A level of literacy or numeracy below that required to achieve a formal
qualification.
The prevention, elimination or regulation of discrimination between persons on grounds of sex or marital status, on racial grounds, or on grounds of disability, age, sexual orientation, language or social origin, or of other personal attributes, including beliefs or opinions, such as religious beliefs or political opinions.
Essential Skills Wales is the new suite of skills qualifications which will replace the current Key Skills of Communication, Application of Number and ICT, and the Basic Skills of Adult Literacy, Adult Numeracy and Skills for Life ICT. This new suite of skills qualifications will be implemented from September 2010. From that date, Key Skills and Basic Skills will no longer be available in Wales.
The office of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales. It is responsible for inspecting quality and standards across all sectors of education and training in Wales.
Those residents whose ethnic group is not classified ‘White British’, ‘White Irish’, ‘White Other’.
The EU currently has 27 member states: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Irish Republic, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom.
The financial memorandum is an agreement between DCELLS and the institutions it funds that sets out the terms and conditions for payment of grants.
Learning with a prescribed curriculum and defined outcomes, often leading to the award of a qualification or credit.
Degree-level qualifications designed with employers. They combine academic study with workplace learning to equip people with the skills and knowledge they need to improve performance and productivity.
For comparison and funding purposes, numbers of part-time students and staff are converted to full-time equivalents. This is because a direct head-count is often a poor indication of the actual volume of activity.
The core elements of English, maths and ICT that enable people to operate confidently, effectively and independently in life and at work - see also basic skills.
General and vocational education for learners aged 16 and over, except Higher Education. Often called post-16 education or post-16 learning.
Colleges and other organisations such as YMCA.
FSW was a programme of research into current and future skills needs in Wales, funded by the Assembly Government and coordinated by a steering group including a wide range of public and private sector representatives.
Skills that are applicable to most jobs - see also employability.
GDHI is defined as total household income (including benefits) less current taxes on income, wealth and other social contributions. While GVA gives an indication of the value of all economic activity in a given area, gross disposable household income (GDHI) measures what financial resources households have available to sp end on goods and services. As with GVA, GDHI data is not produced at the district level and is only available at a sub-regional, NUTS 3 level. GDHI is presented as an index where the UK has an index of 100.
GVA is measured as the sum of incomes earned from the production of goods and services in a region/sub-region. Individual income components include: compensation of employees (formerly known as income from employment), gross operating surplus, mixed income and taxes (less subsidies) on production. Regional GVA is calculated both on a workplace and a residence basis. Residence-based GVA allocates the incomes of commuters to where they live, whereas workplace GVA allocates their incomes to where they work. At a NUTS 2 and 3 level, estimates are only produced at a workplace level.
The wide variation in the size, demography, industrial structure and economic performance of the regions and sub-regions of the UK makes it difficult to compare the regions economic performance using monetary totals. Comparisons are therefore usually expressed in terms of amounts per head of the resident population. The estimates of NUTS 3 GVA per head are calculated by dividing the estimate of workplace GVA for an area by the resident population for that area. Estimates of GVA per head will therefore be high in areas with high levels of inward commuting and a low resident population. Conversely, estimates of GVA per head will be low in areas with significant levels of outward commuting and high resident populations.
Is an Assembly Sponsored Public Body established in May 1992 under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. The Council is concerned with the funding of colleges and institutions of higher education in Wales. It also has the power to fund higher education in further education colleges.
The Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW), Scottish Funding Council (SFC), and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), comprise the funding councils for higher education in the UK. There is no funding council for Northern Ireland, where HEIs are funded directly by the Department of Employment and Learning, Northern Ireland (DELNI).
Collects, analyses and reports on HE statistics for universities and higher education colleges in the UK.
Higher education courses are programmes leading to qualifications, or credits which can be counted towards qualifications, which are above the standard of GCE A-levels or other Level 3 qualifications. They include degree courses, postgraduate courses and Higher National Diplomas. Higher education takes place in universities and higher education colleges, and in some further education colleges.
Learning or training that improves job performance and business productivity.
