Assistant Director, Qualification Development: General Qualifications, joins expert panel to discuss the future of vocational and skills qualifications in Wales

WJEC’s Assistant Director, Qualification Development: General Qualifications, Delyth Jones, is set to join a panel of esteemed educationalists at a Policy Forum for Wales event to discuss the future of vocational and skills qualifications at 14-16 in Wales.  

Commenting on her participation at the flagship conference, Delyth Jones, Assistant Director: Qualification Development, said: “As the leading awarding body in Wales, our vision is to offer a portfolio of high-quality bilingual qualifications that will offer learners across Wales choice. We are committed to developing a suite of new VCSEs, Foundation Vocational Qualifications, Foundation General Qualifications, alongside Project and Skills Suite qualifications. 

We are engaging with a broad range of stakeholders to develop these qualifications that will offer learners with new learning opportunities to enhance their knowledge and skills to enable them to flourish in a global market. 

Co-construction forms the foundation of our approach to qualification development, therefore, engaging in forums such as this is important to understand the views and opinions of our stakeholders. 

I look forward to discussing this topic with my esteemed panel members and participating in lively and interesting debates.” 

Delyth will be joined by Will Beuchen, Head Boy, Cowbridge Comprehensive School and Louise Mumford, Learning and Development Manager, Ogi on this panel discussion, where they will explore qualification design, standards, diversity and aligning qualifications with student and employer needs. There will also be opportunities for questions and comments from the floor. 

Conference content

The online conference will be taking place on Thursday 27 March, and will examine the future of vocational and skills qualifications in Wales, focusing on priorities as schools prepare for the introduction of new National 14-16 Qualifications from 2027. 

The event will feature keynote sessions from Oliver Stacey, Senior Qualifications Manager, Qualifications Wales; and Alex Ingram, Head of Qualifications and Assessment, Welsh Government. 

Delegates will have the opportunity to consider challenges raised during stakeholder consultations, including resource allocation, teacher training and funding priorities. Areas for discussion include ensuring high quality provision and the balance between academic and vocational learning for students taking the new qualifications alongside reformed GCSEs, as well as addressing concerns around non-examination assessments and maintaining rigorous standards. 

To book your place, please visit Policy Forum for Wales’ website.