Welsh Week: higher education’s vital place at the Senedd Elections

This is the third blog in HEPI’s Welsh Week. It was kindly authored by Professor Jon Timmis, Vice Chancellor, Aberystwyth University.

Read the first blog here, the second blog here, the fourth blog here and the fifth blog here.

The forthcoming Senedd elections come at a critical time for Welsh universities.

Alongside institutions elsewhere in the UK, the sector here is having to deal with the ongoing impact of the historic freeze in tuition fees for UK-based students, a downturn in the international student recruitment market and lingering effects of high inflation.

In a discussion that can sometimes just seem like a flood of statistics, it’s worth reiterating that for every £1 million of public money put into Welsh universities, £13 million of economic impact is generated – an undeniably good return on investment.

But a healthy higher education sector also brings something less tangible but equally important alongside the economic benefits: a genuine connection with, and contribution to, a diverse variety of places and communities.

Perhaps, nowhere is that truer than in a vibrant town like Aberystwyth, where the ties are so close between the town and the University, which is so central to the community.

Looking at the sector in isolation, one could easily miss the deep bond it has with its surroundings. Universities are employers in their own right, but they are also at the heart of the local economy by creating opportunities for local businesses. They make their area attractive to investors, they build links with local organisations, councils and schools, and also provide facilities that the town may not have had otherwise. Thriving universities help build more attractive places to live and work, and the cultural fabric of towns is stronger. Without them, the whole identity of their town is diminished.

Aberystwyth offers students the opportunity to work and study in an area that is not just another big city, but a university inextricably linked to its place. Our work brings diversity, energy and richness to the town, and we proudly introduce Welsh culture to newcomers from all over the world.

In the heart of beautiful mid-Wales, there is no aspect of life that doesn’t include a bridge between Aberystwyth University and our wider community. In the arts, entertainment and sport, urban renewal and sustainable rural economies.  And, of course, the breadth and depth of our research in Aberystwyth – from tackling the scourge of parasitic diseases around the world to uncovering the secrets of Stonehenge – is making a real difference to people’s lives.

As we look ahead to crucial elections in Wales this May, we need to remind ourselves that, fundamentally, our universities deliver in their ‘place’. We train the staff our public services rely on; create jobs and opportunities and produce research that delivers real benefits – from healthcare to cutting-edge technology, to national security.

A sustainable university sector can also unlock opportunity and growth right across Wales,and to do so, universities must be placed at the heart of an ambitious plan to build a more skilled and prosperous nation.

That’s why universities in Wales have set out an agenda for the next Welsh Government, from whichever party or parties it is formed. As part of that vision, we want to secure cross-party support for an independent review of university funding and student support, so we can build jobs and skills for the future. To ensure that we drive opportunity and social mobility, and to close the growing gap between Wales and the rest of the UK, we need an independent commission on the participation of our people in higher education. We also want the next government to commit to sustainably fund research, invest in innovation and commercialisation and secure strategic regional investment funding.

If we want our communities to thrive, economically, socially, culturally and educationally, then we need thriving universities to continue to make their vital contributions. To achieve that, we need a renewed commitment to higher education and a widely accepted acceptance of the benefits it brings – to Wales as a whole and the individual places that make up our diverse nation.

My sense is that the sector here in Wales shares a determination to be part of the Welsh Government’s plans to bring increased prosperity throughout the country, in all regions, and all communities.  Whoever leads that Government will find a willing partner in that endeavour.  To enable universities to maximise their potential, however, our governments need to harness the power of higher education and academic research, and enable us to support our communities and the wider world.

Want to understand more about Wales and higher education?

Read HEPI and London Economics’ recent report on higher education funding in Wales, as well as a blog on Plan 2 student loans in Wales.

In 2024, to mark 25 years since the devolution of powers to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, HEPI and The Education Group London published the collection of essays ‘Evolution of Devolution‘. It provides a comprehensive analysis of how higher education policies in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have evolved over the past quarter of a century.