West Wales: The area where the most people stay in Wales for study

Dr Owain James

The last (but certainly not least!) in our series of blogs on Wales's regions: West Wales!

West Wales is the region of Wales that has the lowest rates of students that leave Wales for study, with 27.8% leaving the country for study.

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Why?

Building on what we have discussed over the last blog posts, it has the right mix of 'pull factors':

  • It is the region that is furthest West, and is the only region that doesn't share a border with England.
  • Two of the Local Authorities in West Wales have universities based within them - Swansea University and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. These alongside the Open University are the top three choices for students from each of the region's four Local Authorities
  • Strong pull from a significant Built-up area (Swansea City)
  • Neath Port Talbot has high rates of deprivation according to the Multiple Deprivation Index. It has the lowest rates of people leaving Wales for study of the Local Authorities in West Wales, partly because leaving Wales for study is generally easier for those from wealthier backgrounds.

In addition to these factors, I also think there's something additional about West Wales' location and what I often call the 'Goldilocks' area. Students who are looking to move away from their local area for study, still tend to not want to move too far away. When I speak to students they often mention looking for places no further than 2-3 hours away from their place of origin and this is backed up by the data - the Universities of England that are nearest to the Welsh border are generally the most popular for students from Wales. For many parts of South East Wales, places like Exeter, Bristol, Bath, Oxford, Reading and London (and their universities) fall within that 2-3 hour radius mentioned. But for West Wales, most of the universities that fall within that radius are actually within Wales itself!

That is why, after the unis that are based in West Wales, the next three most popular unis for each of the Local Authorities in West Wales are the ones based in South East Wales (Cardiff University, Cardiff Metropolitan University and University of South Wales). In this case, the strong transport links East to West actually supports keeping people in Wales!

The next most popular choices (with significant numbers) are Aberystwyth University and the universities of the closest English city, Bristol (University of Bristol and University of the West of England).

But to reiterate the point I made in the last blog post - just because this is the region of Wales with the lowest rates of students who leave the country for study, this doesn't mean that this figure is low. Four times more students leave their country of origin for study in West Wales than the national average for Scotland.

We still need to connect with the 1 in 4 students from West Wales who leave.

English
Cymraeg

The last (but certainly not least!) in our series of blogs on Wales's regions: West Wales!

West Wales is the region of Wales that has the lowest rates of students that leave Wales for study, with 27.8% leaving the country for study.

‍

Why?

Building on what we have discussed over the last blog posts, it has the right mix of 'pull factors':

  • It is the region that is furthest West, and is the only region that doesn't share a border with England.
  • Two of the Local Authorities in West Wales have universities based within them - Swansea University and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. These alongside the Open University are the top three choices for students from each of the region's four Local Authorities
  • Strong pull from a significant Built-up area (Swansea City)
  • Neath Port Talbot has high rates of deprivation according to the Multiple Deprivation Index. It has the lowest rates of people leaving Wales for study of the Local Authorities in West Wales, partly because leaving Wales for study is generally easier for those from wealthier backgrounds.

In addition to these factors, I also think there's something additional about West Wales' location and what I often call the 'Goldilocks' area. Students who are looking to move away from their local area for study, still tend to not want to move too far away. When I speak to students they often mention looking for places no further than 2-3 hours away from their place of origin and this is backed up by the data - the Universities of England that are nearest to the Welsh border are generally the most popular for students from Wales. For many parts of South East Wales, places like Exeter, Bristol, Bath, Oxford, Reading and London (and their universities) fall within that 2-3 hour radius mentioned. But for West Wales, most of the universities that fall within that radius are actually within Wales itself!

That is why, after the unis that are based in West Wales, the next three most popular unis for each of the Local Authorities in West Wales are the ones based in South East Wales (Cardiff University, Cardiff Metropolitan University and University of South Wales). In this case, the strong transport links East to West actually supports keeping people in Wales!

The next most popular choices (with significant numbers) are Aberystwyth University and the universities of the closest English city, Bristol (University of Bristol and University of the West of England).

But to reiterate the point I made in the last blog post - just because this is the region of Wales with the lowest rates of students who leave the country for study, this doesn't mean that this figure is low. Four times more students leave their country of origin for study in West Wales than the national average for Scotland.

We still need to connect with the 1 in 4 students from West Wales who leave.

Yr olaf (ond yn sicr nid lleiaf!) yn ein cyfres o flogiau ar ranbarthau Cymru: Gorllewin Cymru!

Gorllewin Cymru yw'r rhanbarth o Gymru sydd â'r cyfraddau isaf o fyfyrwyr sy'n gadael Cymru i astudio, gyda 27.8% yn gadael y wlad i astudio.

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Pam?

Gan adeiladu ar yr hyn yr ydym wedi'i drafod y bostiadau blog diwethaf, mae ganddo'r cymysgedd cywir o 'ffactorau tynnu':

  • Dyma'r rhanbarth sydd bellaf i'r Gorllewin, a dyma'r unig ranbarth nad yw'n rhannu ffin â Lloegr.
  • Mae gan ddau o’r Awdurdodau Lleol yng Ngorllewin Cymru brifysgolion wedi’u lleoli ynddynt - Prifysgol Abertawe a Phrifysgol Cymru Y Drindod Dewi Sant. Y rhain ochr yn ochr â'r Brifysgol Agored yw'r tri dewis mwyaf poblogaidd ar gyfer myfyrwyr o bob un o bedwar Awdurdod Lleol y rhanbarth
  • Atyniad cryf gan Ardal Adeiledig sylweddol (Dinas Abertawe)
  • Mae gan Gastell-nedd Port Talbot gyfraddau uchel o amddifadedd yn ôl y Mynegai Amddifadedd Lluosog Cymru. Mae ganddi’r cyfraddau isaf o bobl yn gadael Cymru i astudio o'r Awdurdodau Lleol yng Ngorllewin Cymru, yn rhannol oherwydd ei bod yn haws gadael Cymru i astudio yn gyffredinol i’r rhai o gefndiroedd cyfoethocach.

Yn ogystal â'r ffactorau hyn, rwyf hefyd yn meddwl bod rhywbeth ychwanegol am leoliad Gorllewin Cymru a'r hyn rwy'n ei alw'n aml yn ardal 'Elen Benfelen'. Mae myfyrwyr sy'n bwriadu symud i ffwrdd o'u hardal leol i astudio yn dal yn dueddol o beidio â bod eisiau symud yn rhy bell i ffwrdd. Pan fyddaf yn siarad â myfyrwyr maent yn aml yn sôn am chwilio am leoedd heb fod ymhellach na 2-3 awr i ffwrdd o'u man cychwyn ac mae hyn yn cael ei ategu gan y data - Prifysgolion Lloegr sydd agosaf at ffin Cymru yw'r rhai mwyaf poblogaidd i fyfyrwyr o Gymri ar y cyfan.  Mewn sawl rhan o Dde-ddwyrain Cymru, mae lleoedd fel Caerwysg, Bryste, Caerfaddon, Rhydychen, Reading a Llundain (a’u prifysgolion) yn dod o fewn y radiws 2-3 awr yma. Ond i Orllewin Cymru, mae'r rhan fwyaf o'r prifysgolion sydd o fewn y radiws hwnnw o fewn Cymru ei hun!

Dyna pam, ar ôl y brifysgol sydd wedi’i lleoli yng ngorllewin Cymru, y tair prifysgol fwyaf poblogaidd nesaf ar gyfer pob un o’r Awdurdodau Lleol yng Ngorllewin Cymru yw’r rhai sydd wedi’u lleoli yn Ne-ddwyrain Cymru (Prifysgol Caerdydd, Prifysgol Fetropolitan Caerdydd a Phrifysgol De Cymru). Yn yr achos hwn, mae'r cysylltiadau trafnidiaeth cryf o'r Dwyrain i'r Gorllewin mewn gwirionedd yn cefnogi cadw pobl yng Nghymru!

Y dewisiadau mwyaf poblogaidd nesaf (gyda niferoedd sylweddol) yw Prifysgol Aberystwyth a phrifysgolion y ddinas agosaf yn Lloegr, Bryste (Prifysgol Bryste a Phrifysgol Gorllewin Lloegr).

Ond i ailadrodd y pwynt wnes i yn y blogbost diwethaf - er taw dyma'r rhanbarth o Gymru sydd â'r cyfraddau isaf o fyfyrwyr sy'n gadael y wlad i astudio, nid yw hyn yn golygu bod y ffigur hwn yn isel. Mae pedair gwaith yn fwy o fyfyrwyr yn gadael eu mamwlad i astudio yng Ngorllewin Cymru na’r cyfartaledd cenedlaethol ar gyfer yr Alban.

Mae dal angen i ni gysylltu â'r 1 o bob 4 myfyriwr o Orllewin Cymru sy'n gadael.