WELSH curriculum advisers will consult all higher education institutions in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland over plans to replace A-levels with an over-arching baccalaureate.
The Assembly has given new impetus to proposals for a Welsh baccalaureate, rejected by the Government in 1998. Supporters of the bac want to gauge support throughout the rest of Britain because 46 per cent of Welsh students go on to higer education outside Wales.
The Institute of Welsh Affairs is preparing a pound;1.1 million pilot of the new curriculum framework for 16 to 19-year-olds over three years in six schools.
The WelshBac aims to go further than the international baccalaureate by giving academic and vocational courses equal weight under an over-arching qualification which covers key skills, theory of knowledge and citizenship.