History of the Community University of the Valleys Partnership
Origins of The Community University of the Valleys
The origins of the CUV Partnership lie in the substantial and rapid re-structuring
of the economy of South Wales in the 1980s. The decline of heavy industries
such as coal and steel led to high levels of unemployment and to a labour
market in which education, training and re-skilling opportunities were
urgently required. A further key change in the local economy and social
structure was the growing involvement of women in the labour market and
in voluntary, cultural and political activity.
While extra-mural provision of a non-accredited and liberal arts nature
had been provided for many years, throughout the region, the new context
of the 1980's posed significant challenges. It was necessary to substantially
change the nature and mode of delivery of such outreach work and to provide
accessible learning opportunities of the type and level required by the
labour market and demanded by local communities. CUV's roots are in the
Miners' Strike and in the defeat of the miners. At the end of the strike
the Dove Workshop was set up in 1985 at Banwen to offer learning opportunities
for women who had been active during the strike. A partnership developed
with the Department of Adult Continuing Education at the University of
Wales Swansea.
A number of community organisations throughout Wales were also working
to rebuild their community through education. However, the Government's
Valleys Initiative Programme, aimed at promoting the social and economic
regeneration of depressed communities, did not focus on the importance
of education. In 1988 The Valleys Initiative for Adult Education (VIAE)
was formed to link community organisations with providers of education.
In 1991, the first HE Community Access programme was developed in Banwen
- a partnership between DOVE and the University of Wales Swansea. It was
targeted particularly at women returners, the long-term unemployed and
ex-miners. While successful, it very quickly illustrated its limitations.
Many of those drawn to The Community Access route were not able to progress
to mainstream University provision because of their personal circumstances.
A partnership was set up in 1992 between the University of Wales Swansea,
DOVE and VIAE to develop community based higher learning opportunities.
The Universities Funding Council (which then became the Higher Education
Funding Council for Wales/now part of ELWa) provided funding for the development
of the Community University of the Valleys. The University of Wales Swansea
provided outreach staff resources and a library at DOVE. A part-time degree
course in Humanities was developed and delivered at Banwen, offering a
traditional degree programme in a non-traditional way.
Widening Provision/Developing the Partnership
Since the implementation of the original CUV Project at Banwen, the scope
of the CUV Partnership has widened considerably, both in terms of range
of provision and geographical spread. Higher learning opportunities are
now available at a wide range of community learning centres. Four factors
have been central to developments:
Key community organisations leading the partnership. The growth in community
based organisations, focused on supporting the regeneration and development
of communities, has been a key feature of social change in South Wales
in recent years. Such community organisations have been instrumental in
developing the CUV Partnership. Equal partnership between Higher Education
Institutions and the Voluntary Sector is central to the strategy and enables
the CUV partnership to be community led and responsive to the learning
needs of local communities. Community Enterprises play a vital role in
the partnership, representing the learning needs of individuals and communities
and influencing the development of learning appropriate to communities.
Other Higher Education Institutions joining the partnership - These include
University of Glamorgan, the Open University in Wales and University of
Wales College Newport. The partnerships strategy for widening access to
Higher Education through community based provision now extends across
South Wales, from the Swansea, Neath and Amman Valleys in the West, to
the central valleys of Rhondda Cynon Taff and Merthyr Tydfil through to
the Gwent Valleys area.
Mainstreaming of continuing education provision within the Higher Education
sector. This has led to redesign and new developments in short course
provision and curricula. It has taken the sector from extra-mural provision,
with no credits or certification to new modular courses, carrying credit
points that can be used within the HE Credit Accumulation and Transfer
System (CATS). Universities are now able to offer a wide range of short
accredited courses for delivery within community locations. By taking
a number of short courses, linked by subject matter, learners can gain
Higher Education Certificates at Level One. These level one qualifications
can then be used to contribute towards a full degree qualification, subject
to curriculum compatibility. Part-time Degree Programmes are also available,
offering greater flexibility to those with work or family commitments
and have greatly contributed to widening access strategies.
Funding of non-award bearing learning. Higher Education Funding Council
for Wales funding of non-accredited learning programmes has been a crucial
element of CUV Partnership strategies aimed at widening access to learning.
This development has enhanced access to under-represented adults, such
as the long-term unemployed and has allowed greater flexibility in the
design and development of learning programmes and delivery methods. It
has stimulated development of innovative learning programmes suited to
the needs of excluded individuals and groups that provide very important
first steps learning opportunities that underpin access to higher learning
progressions.
The development should also be seen in the context of the changing nature
of Higher Education within the UK. Over the past 15 years, there has been
a massive expansion of students in Higher Education, together with a series
of policies aimed at opening up the sector to mature age students, particularly
targeting previously under-represented groups. We have also seen an increasing
emphasis on the local and regional role of Higher Education Institutions
in supporting economic and social regeneration. The CUV Partnership, therefore,
reflects these shifts in UK wide policy and is a key vehicle in widening
access to Higher Education and in contributing to the regeneration and
development of communities in South Wales.
New Developments
In recent years, a series of new initiatives, building on the community
focused approach of the Community University of the Valleys Partnership,
have been developed with support from Government and European funding,
We have seen a refocusing on communities and outreach provision, with
developments such as UFI (University for Industry) and learndirect, the
Wales wide Community University Initiative, e-University, Connecting Communities
Cymru, The Digital College, Open College Network, to name just a few.
There has been the restructuring of education and training systems in
Wales, with the establishment of ELWa (Education & Learning Wales)
and CCETS(Community Consortia for Education & Training) In addition,
a plethora of community enterprises across Wales continue to develop the
role of education in regeneration, providing community development support
to our most disadvantaged communities.
The importance of learning to community regeneration is now strongly
recognised and widening participation is a major focus for all learning
providers. With ESF Objective One Status for the region and the Assembly's
Communities First Programme, we see a growing range of community support
initiatives and learning development strategies. As we move forward, we
must, however, ensure the growth of true community partnership. All initiatives
must develop at a pace and style appropriate to community needs, recognising
that it will take time to gain acceptance and embed developments into
community aspirations.
Partnership
Partnership between Higher Education Institutions and the Voluntary Sector
is central to the strategy of the Community University of the Valleys
Partnership. Key to partnership development has been the significant growth
of voluntary organisations formed specifically to provide learning opportunities;
either as direct providers of learning, or as 'community brokers' working
with colleges and universities to bring learning to their local areas.
Only by working together can we improve access to learning opportunities
and widen participation in learning by all members of our communities.
By working in partnership, we aim to integrate the provision of different
learning providers to the benefit of communities and to minimise duplication
of effort and competing activities.
The Future
The Community University of the Valleys Partnership continues its work
to improve access and to develop higher learning opportunities for local
communities. Current development projects, supported by ESF and ERDF funds
and involving partnerships between community enterprises and HE institutions
include Connecting Communities Cymru(University of Wales Swansea lead),
providing state of the art ICT facilities for 12 community learning centres,
Progression Through Partnership, where University of Wales College Newport
and The Workers Educational Assoc are working together to provide opportunities
for community learners to progress through levels 2, 3 and 4 and the CUV
Partnership Coordinator Project, which is focused on developing the capacity
of partnership organisations to support widening participation in learning.
In the near future, further projects and initiatives will be implemented
to extend the work of the partnership, develop the impact of activities
and to bring higher learning opportunities to further communities. Developments
will focus to a greater extent on innovative curriculum, research, quality
developments and ICT supported learning for communities.
The Community University of the Valleys Partnership Coordinator Project
is part-funded by the European Social Fund
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