Regulator announces new Essential Skills Wales qualifications
Qualifications Wales has published its findings and decisions report on the design of new Essential Skills Wales (ESW) qualifications.
Its report outlines the decisions the regulator has made in response to findings from its extensive consultation with stakeholders. These decisions will provide the basis of the regulatory requirements it will set for awarding bodies as they design and develop the new qualifications for first teaching from autumn 2028.
Publication of the report follows an in-depth review into ESW qualifications and a 12-week consultation by the regulator on its detailed proposals, between November 2025 and February 2026. The consultation and survey attracted more than 700 responses, with Qualifications Wales engaging with a wide range of stakeholders including learners, providers and employers.
It will now reform qualifications in application of number, communication and digital literacy. This reform is being undertaken to strengthen the suite of qualifications, ensuring they remain relevant, engaging and manageable for centres to deliver and learners to complete.
The new qualifications will be called Essential Skills Wales Numeracy, Essential Skills Wales Literacy and Essential Skills Wales Digital. They will be designed for use in post-16 courses in further education and work-based learning.
The new numeracy qualification includes more emphasis on financial mathematics and there is consideration of the use and application of artificial intelligence in the digital qualification. The literacy qualification can be taken in Cymraeg, English, or a mix of both.
As these reforms concentrate on the subjects that are included in core requirements for apprenticeship frameworks, the employability ESW qualification is not being reformed as part of this work – meaning awarding bodies can continue to offer it if they wish.
In 2025, 32,540 ESW certificates were awarded to learners across Wales as part of apprenticeships, post-16 further education programmes and adult community learning.
Senior Qualifications Manager Oliver Stacey said: “Diolch yn fawr to everyone who has given their time and taken part in our consultations. Your views have been listened to and carefully considered during our decision-making process.
“The changes we are making to the qualifications focus on improving their manageability for both learners and learning providers, by reducing the overall assessment time. The content will be updated so that the qualifications better reflect the essential skills needed for life, learning and work - which stakeholders have consistently told us are relevant and applicable to all learners.”