Key Points
- There are plans by Cardiff University to develop a new Institute for Flexible Lifelong Learning to allow people learn at various stages in their life.
- The institute will provide learners with flexibility to be able to learn around other engagements like work and family.
- The Council of Cardiff University approved the development of the new institute in February 2025 and will open in September 2025 with a three-year development of the new system.
- It is expected that the provision will comprise of accredited and non-accredited modules.
- The University will provide flexible master’s courses, stackable microcredentials and short courses through the programme.
- Lifelong Learning and Continuing Professional Development teams at Cardiff University have been incorporated in the institute.
- Nation.Cymru reports that Cardiff University has embarked on a procurement process for the online program management solution which is estimated to cost £5 million (excluding VAT) or £6 million (including VAT).
- Cardiff University claims that the funding will depend on the income of students that will be generated from the programme.
Cardiff (Wales Times) September 24, 2026 — University is preparing to launch a new Institute for Flexible Lifelong Learning, which it says will help learners access high-quality education at different stages of their lives.
As reported by Herald.Wales, uk/local/cardiff/">Cardiff University is launching the Institute for Flexible Lifelong Learning to support people who wish to study in ways that work around their lifestyles. The development forms part of the university’s wider effort to widen access to learning and create a more flexible education offer.
The initiative has been developing since Cardiff University’s Council discussed the proposal in February 2025. According to the Council minutes, the university identified that continuing professional development provision lacked a cross-institutional strategy, with about 80% of such provision located within the College of Biomedical and Life Sciences. The Council agreed that an Institute for Flexible Lifelong Learning should be established to enable activity across colleges and schools.
What Will the New Institute Offer?
The institute is expected to bring together a mix of accredited and non-accredited learning. Cardiff University’s Council minutes state that the university planned to launch the institute in September 2025 and to use a three-year process to introduce the new system.
A report published by Kellogg College, University of Oxford, described Cardiff University’s commitment to a Flexible Lifelong Learning Programme. It stated that the programme would scope and pilot flexible master’s programmes, stackable microcredentials and non-accredited short courses.
Stackable microcredentials are designed to allow learners to study at their own pace and combine smaller units of learning towards a larger award, such as a postgraduate certificate or diploma. The report also said the service would aim to be “flexible by default”.
How Will Existing Learning Services Be Affected?
Cardiff University has confirmed that its existing Lifelong Learning and Continuing Professional Development teams have joined the new institute. In a statement reported by Martin Shipton of Nation.Cymru, a university spokesperson said the move would bring together expertise from both teams for a more coordinated approach to the full range of the institute’s provision.
The spokesperson said:
“As part of the establishment of the Institute both the existing Lifelong Learning and CPD teams have joined the Institute to bring together the expertise from these teams for a more co-ordinated approach to the full range of portfolio offering from the Institute and the work of both these areas continues as usual but within the Institute.”
The university also said that Pathways to Degrees and Foundation Years serve different learner groups. It stated that Pathways to Degrees are designed for mature, part-time learners who need flexible study options, while Foundation Years are full-time, subject-aligned pre-undergraduate offers accessed through UCAS.
Why Is the University Developing Online Learning?
Nation.Cymru reported that Cardiff University has commenced a procurement process for Online Programme Management services. The report said the university is developing a strategic approach to a fully online postgraduate taught portfolio, with the first phase proposed to begin in September 2027.
The invitation to express interest, quoted by Nation.Cymru, stated:
“Cardiff University is commencing the procurement for the supply of Online Programme Management (OPM) services on a pay per service basis.”
According to the same report, the estimated value of the contract is £5 million excluding VAT and £6 million including VAT. The proposed contract would run from March 22 2027 to March 21 2030, with a possible extension to March 21 2031. The tender notice was expected to be published on September 15 2026.
A Cardiff University spokesperson told Nation.Cymru that the university was in a pre-tender information period as part of its strategic activity to potentially develop a fully online postgraduate taught degree portfolio. The spokesperson said that funding would be directly related to the number of learners recruited onto the programmes and would be covered by additional student income generated by the initiative.
What Concerns Have Been Raised?
Nation.Cymru reported concerns from an unnamed academic at Cardiff University about the scale of the planned spending and the potential impact on staff. The academic said the plans related to the creation of the Institute for Flexible Lifelong Learning, which they believed had recently undergone a “soft” launch.
The academic told Nation.Cymru: “It appears that the university is planning to spend somewhere between £5m and £6m on this over the next three to four years, at a time when it’s talking about further consultations and refusing to rule out compulsory redundancies.”
The academic also raised questions about the future place of the former Division of Lifelong Learning, which had worked with community groups and learners across the Cardiff capital region. They said the division had offered in-person and online short courses at Credit and Qualifications Framework for Wales levels 3, 4 and 5, as well as the Pathways to a Degree programme.
In response, Cardiff University said that online master’s-level short courses were “just one aspect” of the institute’s work. The spokesperson said this had been identified as a potential new offering alongside existing provision, as a way to diversify income and extend market reach and impact.
The university also acknowledged that staff from Lifelong Learning and Continuing Professional Development had not been part of the previous consultation process. It said the institute would now be subject to the next phase of professional services transformation activity, alongside several other professional service areas.
Background of the Development
Cardiff University’s plans for flexible lifelong learning emerged from a review of its continuing professional education provision during 2023/24. The review found there was no cross-institutional strategy and that most continuing professional development was concentrated in one college.
The university’s Council subsequently agreed in February 2025 that an institute should be established to act as an enabler for provision across colleges and schools. It also agreed that a director should be recruited to report to the Chief Operating Officer, University Secretary, and Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor.
The initiative fits within a broader strategy of creating new educational offerings, including flexible, modularised lifelong learning. Cardiff University had also advertised for a Director of Flexible Lifelong Learning, according to reporting on UK higher education by Neil Mosley.
Prediction: What Could This Mean for Learners and Staff?
For adult learners in Cardiff and across Wales, the institute could create more routes into university study without requiring a conventional full-time degree commitment. Flexible master’s programmes, microcredentials and short courses may make it easier for people returning to education, changing career or updating professional skills to study alongside employment or caring responsibilities.
For employers, the planned mix of accredited and non-accredited provision could provide training options tailored to workforce needs. The university’s existing professional development work already includes short courses, standalone postgraduate modules and executive education, which the new institute is expected to coordinate more closely.
For university staff, the development may bring organisational change. Nation.Cymru reported that staff transferred into the institute from Lifelong Learning and Continuing Professional Development are expected to be subject to a further consultation during autumn and winter 2026-27 as part of professional services transformation activity.
The success of the institute is likely to depend on whether it can expand flexible provision while maintaining access for community learners and part-time mature students. The university says its existing work in these areas will continue within the new structure, while its online postgraduate plans are intended to begin with a first portfolio phase in September 2027.
