College waiting lists for September leave teens with ‘nowhere to go’

Hundreds of teenagers are on waiting lists for courses because there is not enough funding to accommodate record numbers of applicants, college bosses have warned.

Entry level courses in subjects such as construction and health and social care are amongst the most oversubscribed for September.

“I found a purpose for what I could do for my life and something I actually enjoy,” said one 18-year-old of his college experience.

The Welsh government has been asked to comment.

Yana Williams, chief executive of Coleg Cambria in north east Wales, which has waiting lists for 44 of its courses, said the situation risked adding to already worrying numbers of young people not in education, employment or training (Neet).

“Almost all our places, entry and level one, are now full,” she said adding the college had seen an increase in applicants for two years running, meaning teenagers were being placed on waiting lists.

Entry and level one courses are below GCSE level and places are usually taken up by young people who either have not sat or have not passed exams.

“Unless we have that money soon we can’t recruit new tutors, we can’t have any more courses and we will be turning learners away in September,” she said.

“There is nowhere else for learners to go if they don’t come to a college, but at this moment in time the college can’t offer any more places than it has.”

Coleg Cambria has five sites including campuses in Wrexham and Deeside. In south Wales, Coleg y Cymoedd serving Rhondda Cynon Taf and Caerphilly faces similar challenges.

Principal Jonathan Morgan explained they had already set up temporary buildings, converted classrooms into workshops and increased staff numbers and had now “stretched every lever” – with funding for 4,600 learners but applications from 6,000.

“We’ve made offers to 5,500 learners, but that leaves us a gap of 500 learners, which we’re unable to make offers to at the moment, and we’re having to hold them on a waiting list.”

He said demand was greatest in courses such as construction, engineering, creative industries, digital and IT, health and social care and childcare.

“There is going to be uncertainty for many young people, which is really, really unfortunate and a situation that we would not want to be in,” he said.