Teaching Wales’ workforce

From classrooms to hospital wards, and from care homes to community hubs, public services in Wales are under growing pressure. Teacher shortages, nursing vacancies, and a lack of qualified social workers are stretching services and impacting communities.

We’re helping to meet these challenges head-on – offering flexible, part-time study routes that enable people to qualify and progress in their careers without leaving their jobs or their communities. This approach is widening the talent pool and building a sustainable workforce for the future.

Learning without leaving home

With more than 16,000 students across Wales, the OU in Wales is the country’s largest provider of part-time undergraduate higher education. Many are studying professional qualifications in Social Work, Nursing, or Teaching – programmes designed in partnership with employers and tailored to the needs of Welsh communities.

For learners like Rachel Townsend, from Ystalyfera, this flexibility has been life-changing. Rachel balanced full-time work, single parenthood, and her studies to gain her BA (Hons) in Social Work through a local authority “Grow Our Own” scheme. Today, she manages a hospital social work team, supporting safe discharges and helping patients live independently.

'Without the flexibility of the OU, I couldn’t have studied while raising two children and working full time,' Rachel says.

Since 2021/22, 248 social workers have qualified through the OU in Wales – with annual graduate numbers rising by more than 220%.

Inspiring the next generation

The teaching profession faces a shortage of qualified staff, particularly in secondary education and in Welsh-medium teaching. The OU in Wales’ part-time and salaried PGCE routes are helping to bridge the gap, with almost 200 graduates now teaching in schools across Wales.

Watching my students grow as performers and as confident individuals is exactly why I do what I do.

Sioned

For Sioned, from Llansannan, the OU provided a route from the spotlight to the school stage. After a career in musical theatre, she qualified in 2019 and is now Head of Drama at a Welsh-medium secondary school, inspiring students both in performance and in the use of the Welsh language.

'Watching my students grow as performers and as confident individuals is exactly why I do what I do,' she says. 

Adam, a Year Four primary teacher in Cardiff, used his OU PGCE to unite his love of sport with education – leading both in the classroom and through the Grangetown Schools Football Festival, which brings together local schools and clubs each term.

'The OU gave me the opportunity to get qualified without having to sacrifice my role,' he says. 

Nursing on the frontline

The NHS in Wales faces more than 2,000 registered nurse vacancies, with nearly 80% of shifts reported as understaffed. Health boards spend over £140 million a year on agency staff to fill these gaps – and in this context, the OU’s flexible nursing programmes are enabling more people to qualify without leaving the workforce.

Katie Bonar, from Nant-y-moel, is a powerful example of this in action. After 17 years as a hairdresser, she joined Cardiff and Vale University Health Board as a healthcare support worker. Her passion for dementia care – and encouragement from her manager – led her to train as a nurse through the OU, qualifying in 2023 with a BSc (Hons) in Nursing (Mental Health).

'The OU gave me the chance to qualify without giving up my job or letting my family down,' Katie says. 'It’s changed my life.'

Now a community mental health nurse in Cardiff, Katie supports up to 30 patients, runs a depot clinic, and offers crisis support – work she calls “a privilege” because of the trust patients place in her during their most difficult times.

She’s not alone. Mark Crothers, a clinical research specialist nurse, also credits the OU’s flexibility for his success. After gaining his BSc in Adult Nursing, Mark now manages national research trials that impact thousands worldwide.