Description of the contract
There are thirteen further education institutions and eight universities in Wales. The Further and Higher Education (Governance and Information) (Wales) Act 2014 requires all further education institutions to have two student governors on governing bodies. Higher education institutions are required by their own governing documents to include two student governors, and governing bodies’ engagement with students is referenced in the Committee of University Chair’s Code of Governance.
Many of these student governors are elected by students, particularly in higher education as they are typically also sabbatical officers in their students’ unions. Their terms are often short, typically one year unless re-elected, so it is essential that they receive early, consistent and effective support to carry out their roles effectively.
Medr’s predecessor HEFCW commissioned student governor training in 2023, which was continued by Medr in 2024. We wish to commission a further, ongoing programme of training and support as part of our commitment to promoting learner engagement in decision-making across the tertiary education sector.
Contract aim and objectives:
Medr wishes to appoint a contractor to develop, organise, and run a training programme for all student governors at higher and further education institutions in Wales.
This training programme should include in person event or events in September / October of that should be accessible to all student governors and other attendees such as Chairs and Secretaries/Clerks of Governing Bodies, and those who support student governors such as CEOs of students’ unions, and further education institution support staff. There should also be touch points throughout the year to further support the student governors in carrying out their roles effectively.
We anticipate that the training will be carried out during the autumn term 2025 and spring term 2026.
The overall aims of the training programme are to ensure that student governors:
* understand what the role of a governor is and what their expectations should be;
* understand the role of a governing body for institutions;
* recognise the difference between corporate governance and academic governance;
* understands the wider tertiary (and specific higher and further education) policy landscape, including the responsibilities of Medr as a regulator, and how this is reflected in their own respective institutions;
* feel empowered to use their voice with the governing bodies;
* understand what a power imbalance is and how to work with power;
* understand and develop the skills needed to be effective student governors;
* learn strategies to manage conflicts of interest.
The training will need to focus on the development of relationships including: the relationship between the student governor and the respective Chair and Secretary / Clerk of the Governing Body, and the relationship between the student governors across all institutions.
An evaluation survey and report should be constructed after the training to understand how to best improve for following years and evaluate the impact of the training programme. This should be provided to Medr in a report format each May for the duration of the contract, and contain recommendations to improve future training delivery.
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