A 10 year plan for a more highly-skilled nation
15 Jul 2014 04:16 PM
Deputy Minister unveils biggest shake-up of Welsh skills system since devolution.
A new 10 year plan to help Wales evolve into a more competitive and highly-skilled nation has been launched by Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology, Ken Skates.
The Skills Implementation Plan, which will be launched today at one of the world’s largest credit insurers, Atradius, sets out how the Welsh Government will develop a sustainable skills system, where government, employers, providers and individuals all take shared responsibility for skills and training.
Key to this will be the introduction of a Skills Gateway. The new Skills Gateway will provide a seamless service for businesses seeking skills support and will be available online, by phone, and with face to face support also available. The business element of gateway will be hosted by Business Wales.
The new Skills Gateway will bring together a variety of skills development programmes in one place, making it much easier for employers to equip their staff with the right skills for the job.
A Skills Priorities Programme will also be established. Led by Wales’ FE sector, the programme will respond to the needs of local employers with industry-led skills and training solutions - helping learners gain the right skills for the job.
Meanwhile, an industry-led Flexible Skills Programme will provide opportunities for testing new approaches to delivering skills. This will be targeted primarily at businesses within Enterprise Zones, Priority Sectors and City Regions and will also include anchor and regionally important companies across Wales.
The Plan also recognises that without a greater level of investment from employers, Wales will not be able to compete in the global economy.
The Deputy Minister launched the new Plan at Atradius which along with Admiral, GMAC, Composite Legal Expenses and The Principality, is a member of the pioneering Financial Services Graduate Scheme.
The programme, partially funded by Welsh Government’s Sector Priorities Fund Programme, aims to foster home grown talent in order to create the future leaders and professionals in the financial services sector, which has a strong – and growing - presence in Wales.
The Deputy Minister said:
“If Wales is going to be able to compete in the global economy, then we have to have a sustainable system where government, employers and individuals all take shared responsibility for skills.
“In developing this plan, we have listened to the views of our employers and have set out a numbers of actions to help meet their skills needs and the needs of their employees.
“Above all, we want to see a more flexible skills system which can adapt to changes in the labour market and respond to the needs of priority sectors within our economy
“In return, we are asking employers to increase their investment and work alongside us to ensure that Wales has a workforce that can fully respond to the needs of a changing economy.”
Links
Skills implementation plan