A black header banner with the UCL letters coloured white. In the top left corner is UCL's slogan written in Title Case.Department of Geography 26 Bedford Way, London, WC1h 0AP

07/01/2026

 

 

Dear Children and Young People Committee,

 

I am writing to you about the decision to end the Taith mobility scheme in Wales in 2027. As a researcher, I have been working for over two decades on the impact on international student mobility on individuals, families and communities* and have a book forthcoming, in March 2026, with Bristol University Press, entitled Post-Brexit Student Mobilities (https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/post-brexit-student-mobilities). As part of the research conducted for this book, I have spoken with a number of Welsh universities about their experiences of the Taith Scheme (and have asked them, inter alia, to draw comparisons with Turing and, before that, Erasmus). I was fortunate to be able to attend the Taith celebration day in the Senedd last year, where I listened to many others talk passionately about the scheme.

 

The Taith scheme has been, objectively and subjectively, very successful in facilitating the international mobilities of under-represented young people from Wales. It has allowed individuals (and, importantly, groups) to consider a period abroad when previously this would have been inconceivable. The impact of the scheme on ‘widening participation’ has been truly remarkable. As far as I can tell, the scheme is incomparable around the world (I am presently co-editing a book on global mobility schemes) and has the potential to showcase Wales and the Welsh government as ‘groundbreaking’ when it comes to widening participation.

 

I was heartbroken to hear that the scheme will end (as a critical researcher, it is very unusual for me to feel that a public policy initiative is overwhelmingly good). If there is anything you can do to facilitate the reversal of this decision, please can I call on you to do it? Thank you for taking the time to read my letter and if there is anything I can do to support you, please let me know.

 

Yours sincerely,

A close-up of a signature AI-generated content may be incorrect.

Johanna L. Waters (Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales)

Professor of Human Geography

Co-Director of the Migration Research Unit, UCL

Visiting Fellow, Kellogg College, University of Oxford

 

*https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=johanna+waters&oq=j