Medr has launched a consultation on provider quality performance measures for tertiary education.
Medr published its full regulatory framework, including its quality framework, in April 2026, with implementation beginning from August 2026. The current consultation focuses specifically on the performance measures that Medr proposes to use in monitoring quality and supporting improvement across the tertiary education sector.
EPC has previously highlighted the importance of protecting engineering capacity within Welsh tertiary education, ensuring that quality and funding approaches recognise disciplinary context, and supporting flexible and diverse pathways into engineering careers. The contextual ask was largely reflected in Medr’s full regulatory framework for tertiary providers, with the proposed move towards contextual assessment and benchmarking appearing broadly constructive.
This consultation provides an opportunity to assess whether Medr’s proposed methodology appropriately reflects our considerations. The EPC will wish to examine carefully whether the detailed methodology provides a fair and meaningful assessment of engineering provision, recognising the distinctive characteristics of engineering education, professional accreditation requirements and national skills needs.
For higher education providers, the proposed measures include indicators relating to progression, continuation and retention, qualification outcomes, graduate destinations and student satisfaction. They propose to assess performance against benchmarks intended to reflect the characteristics of a provider’s student population and operating context. The framework envisages consideration of contextual evidence and discussion with providers before regulatory intervention is considered.
Comparable performance measures may have different implications for engineering disciplines than for other subject areas because it includes:
- Professionally accredited programmes with specific curriculum requirements.
- Significant laboratory, workshop and technical resource requirements.
- Integrated master’s provision and other extended routes to qualification.
- Degree apprenticeship and employer-supported pathways.
- Distinctive patterns of student recruitment, continuation and progression.
- Strong links to regional and national skills priorities.
The Engineering Professors’ Council (EPC) is preparing a Representative Consultation response. Please see the EPC Consultations Policy for more information on how we approach sector consultations.
The EES committee will be working with EPC reps and partners in Wales to draft an initial response, before inviting EPC members to respond and identify any further issues that may be particularly relevant to engineering education and practice.
At this stage, the EPC is particularly interested in understanding whether:
- The proposed benchmarking approach adequately reflects the realities of engineering education.
- The measures appropriately capture the performance of accredited engineering programmes.
- Engineering disciplines, departments and institutions could be advantaged or disadvantaged by the proposed methodology.
- The framework recognises the diversity of engineering provision, including integrated master’s degrees, degree apprenticeships and other specialist routes.
- There may be unintended consequences for engineering recruitment, participation, retention or curriculum design.
- Additional contextual factors should be considered when interpreting performance data for engineering programmes.
Meanwhile, Medr will be hosting two webinars that will allow stakeholders and interested parties to hear more about their quality performance measures with the opportunity to ask questions and find out more details of how the measures will operate:
Event 1: (online) 16 November 2026 13.00-14.00
Event 2: (online) 17 November 2026 13.00-14.00
The MEDR deadline for responses is 9th December 2026. The EPC will be consulting with members during November 2026.
