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.

One reason for the pressure on places and budgets, according to Morgan and Williams, is that more learners are going into college at a lower level and then staying beyond the usual two years.

Other factors include more over-16s in the population and learners who had been home-schooled applying for college but not being included in funding calculations.

"Before I went to college I felt lost," said Joshua Walker, 18, an electrics and plumbing student from Pontypridd.

"When I was first here, I felt like I found something I want to do."

After he "struggled a bit in school", Carrick Swannack, also 18 and from Porth in Rhondda Cynon Taf, switched from another course to plumbing and "so far it's been amazing".

"I think it always should be funded for young people because obviously this is the future for us," he said.

Nineteen-year-old Finleigh Clark from Aberdare had a similar experience.

He said: "The school environment wasn't really for me. I couldn't sit down in a classroom and do work. It wasn't the right environment for me at all."

When he attended a college open day he "saw the plumbing and the electrics workshop and I was like 'oh my god this is a bit of me'."

"Ever since, I've loved it."

Colleges Wales, which represents Wales' further education colleges, said the sector is facing a £30m funding shortfall from September alongside record levels of applications for courses.

With funding for fewer than 46,000 learners, they predict that more than 50,000 will enrol on courses but hundreds more are on waiting lists.

Funding of £21m for extra students last year has been reduced to £6.5m for 2026-27.

Calling for more funding from the Welsh government, Morgan said he understood the pressures on public sector finances.

"But young people across our region deserve the opportunity to come to college and to study on courses that they're passionate about so they can lead meaningful lives going forward into the future," he added.

Earlier this year, a report for the UK government warned of a "lost generation" facing shrinking job and career opportunities.

Data from the Office for National Statistics showed 13.5% of all 16-24 year olds in the UK were Neet.

The latest figures for Wales, based on a different set of data, suggest it is higher at 17%.