THE system for monitoring post-16 education and apprenticeships in Wales must be improved, a report has said.

A review into post-compulsory education and training, or PCET, in Wales by professor Harvey Weingarten of Canada's Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario and has set out a series of recommendations to improve the sector.

Among them are to develop a dedicated system to monitor the performance and management of the sector and individual institutions within it, looking specifically at areas including how much they are contributing to Wales' economy and their role in promoting the Welsh language and culture.

Professor Weingarten said: “In conducting my review, it was clear that there is a high quality of people in the Welsh PCET system.

"This is true in the institutions, government and agencies, each with a passion and commitment to Welsh education and students.

"There was a willingness to consider how the Welsh PCET system could be improved and do an even better job of helping students and Wales achieve their goals.

“My recommendations would provide government and institutions with the evidence base to determine the effectiveness of the PCET system, inform decisions necessary to improve the effectiveness of the system and maximise the contribution of each institution and the system as a whole to the most important Welsh objectives

“I provide this final report in that spirit – as an analysis and set of recommendations offered to best monitor, and improve the effectiveness of the PCET system in Wales.”

The report has been published as the Welsh Government prepared to put together a new Tertiary Education and Research Commission, which will be responsible for overseeing, funding and contracting within the sector.

Education secretary Kirsty Williams, who commissioned professor Weingarten to put together the report last year, said: “Professor Weingarten’s review has given us some really valuable input to help support the longer term reform of post-compulsory education and training in Wales, which includes the current technical consultation on the creation of a new Tertiary and Education and Research Commission for Wales.

“It is an excellent piece of work, which I know has benefited hugely from Professor Weingarten’s engagement right across the sector in Wales.

“We will now take the time to give careful consideration to the 10 recommendations in the report, which must be seen in the context of our ongoing development of systems for monitoring and supporting the post-compulsory education system in Wales.”

Other recommendations include the Tertiary Education and Research Commission being responsible for monitoring the performance of the sector, and for an annual report into this to be produced. Professor Weingarten also said these reports should be publicly-available, and an expert panel should be convened to review the measures used by each institution to measure their own success.

A consultation into setting up the commission is running until Tuesday, July 17. Take part at tinyurl.com/ycevoujh