1. Investment, Growth and Revitalising Local Communities
Dr Francis Cowe – Director Strategic Alliance and Partnerships University of South Wales.
February 2016 – Policy Forum Wales

2. Context and high level issues – what are our stated aims
Who is investing in who? (what’s the win/who pays?)
What are we growing? (what are we shrinking?)
Which ‘Communities’ are being revitalised?
A long term vision and strategic steer can enable partnership – find out and use what is already there and be honest about what is not.... In terms of scale and disadvantage what are the priorities for change .

3. Curricula Focus & Building a Regional Offer/ Expertise
Science and Technology Animal and Land Based Built Environment and Engineering Business and Management Creative and Performing Arts Health and Social Care Sport and Public Services Teaching Education and Humanities
As well as building courses that links to skills and student demand we have begun to create across the region teams of HE and FE staff who can share industrial and academic skills and links – rational choices over competition/ over/ under supply can be taken with curricula leaders who have worked together.

4. Context and high level issues Strategic / Organic and Relational.
Driven by hard facts with a deficit/change focus...
Turned into a pro active plan with clear outcomes/ vision.
One player cannot do it all for a region nor should they – transformation requires healthy tensions and honest investment in a region by key players ( e.g. BGLZ, The College Merthyr Tydfil, The Works Site, Regeneration Plans, Communities First, Key Companies, WG, LA’s HE and FE).
Funding Regimes, Politics and Investment/ Cuts can skew direction of travel .
Outcomes in relation to numbers of learners – type of learners and focus on employment and communities.
? Who supports this approach for the long term and where does ownership for transformation sit?

5. Higher Level Skills and Knowledge Reshaping the Skills Balance?
UHOVI Phase Two focus was on Part Time and supported by £2.5m a year :
The numbers of part-time undergraduates from Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen have risen by over 40 per cent over the six year period ( )
STEM Subject Participation of Wales-domiciled Part-time Undergraduate Students by UHOVI Local Authority
Merthyr Tydfil
Rhondda Cynon Taff 34.1
Caerphilly
Blaenau Gwent
Average Wales 27.2
Cardiff
Developing Human and Social Captial that links to growth opportunities.

6. Skills/ subject footprint need time to mature, embed and develop in a region. (needs to link down the school level and company links to schools ). Champions required in Schools, Colleges, Universities, LA’s and Private Providers who will look to the long game....employers need to pay their share. Fact Based Analysis on what is / isn’t changing. We probably should have engaged more with Health Service and at times had a narrower offer from the start and built up.

7. Who Pays, Who Steers & Who Delivers (Economic, Social and Skills Strategies).
UHOVI was funded by WG and HEFCW and supported by University of South Wales and its partners . Funding to USW due to come to an end July USW has invested in the Strategic Alliance and grown both the local HE in FE offer and the number of progression focussed roots in to Higher Level Learning across the region. The Curricula offer has had a clear sector/ skills focus. HEI’s cannot lead a regional development strategy but can make a difference?
A risk that those institutions who invest time and staff focus are seen as long term responsible as opposed to innovative and creative partners.
The long term responsibility for economic and social prosperity – appears subject to shifts and changes that clearer regional governance could support.

8. Context and high level issues
Inward and Existing Companies Current Curricula / Skills Offer – level and progression. What is available locally (roots in) What is needed locally (economy & community) Clusters of Interest (competition and co-operation) Looking in and looking out – connectivity to opportunities outside the region? (tensions)

9. Priorities and Lenses Framing the strategy and shaping the delivery
Regional – Geography Based Sector – Industry/ Subject Based Leaders – Individual/ Structure Based Loci of Expertise, Energy, Opportunity (mixed matrix). Clear Outcome Focus. Maximum Added Value. Longevity of Focus .