The Open University has confirmed the appointment of Dewi Knight to the role of Director of PolicyWISE, a major new public policy initiative which will launch later this year.
Dewi joins the OU from the Welsh Government where he is Specialist Adviser for Education Reform. He will lead PolicyWISE, the UK’s first academic network to undertake comparative policy research and knowledge exchange across the four nations of the UK and Ireland. The Open University has been awarded £1m in funding from Dangoor Education to support the launch and development of PolicyWISE over the next four years.
Working at the heart of Welsh government for over six years, Dewi has helped drive forward the biggest post-war education reforms anywhere in the UK and played a key role in the development of the Welsh national education strategy. Previously, he held other senior policy advisory roles with the British Council in China, the University of Bedfordshire and he is a Leadership Mentor for UKRI’s Future Leaders Fellows Network.
Louise Casella, Director of the OU in Wales, who has led the initial development of PolicyWISE, said:
“We’re really pleased to welcome Dewi to this exciting new role at the Open University. He brings significant experience to help drive forward PolicyWISE and to realise its full potential as a nexus to help create better public policy that has regard to place and the realities of devolution, but importantly really makes a difference to the lives of people and to communities.”
Dewi Knight said:
“Working with colleagues across the OU, partner universities and our governments, I’m confident that PolicyWISE will play an essential role in meeting the public policy challenges around shared citizenship, well-being and prosperity.
“I hope to use my policy, government and education experience to realise opportunities for positive policy delivery and knowledge exchange right across the four nations, and build strong international policy, research and knowledge exchange relationships.”
About The Open University in Wales
The Open University is the largest provider of part-time undergraduate higher education in Wales. It is a world leader in providing innovative and flexible distance learning opportunities at higher education level, including undergraduate, postgraduate and access courses.
More than 15,500 students from virtually every community in Wales are currently studying with The Open University, and more than two thirds are in employment while they study. The OU works with businesses, charities and public bodies in Wales to help them develop their staff, and encourage more people into lifelong learning, regardless of their background.
The OU in Wales offers vocational degree programmes in nursing and social care, and since 2020, it is training teachers on its innovative, bilingual PGCE course. Through its degree apprenticeship in Applied Software Engineering, the OU is also helping apprentices across Wales train for a career in IT whilst they earn a salary.
