, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Joint ministerial scrutiny session on post-16 education and skills
I think it's down to the—. I'm just checking, because I don't think we fund degree apprenticeship programmes in England. I think that's down to the employer. There's nothing to stop an employer accessing that programme with their learner if they think that's…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Joint ministerial scrutiny session on post-16 education and skills
Well, I think we want to live in an equal society—we currently don't. Your point about 14 per cent of degree apprenticeships are women is a reflection of that. So, there is a point about our cultural change that is important as well, as well as the proactive…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Joint ministerial scrutiny session on post-16 education and skills
Jeremy is right. So, rail is coming online in January 2024; construction and digital in September 2024. And we'll, of course, evaluate as we go along. And there is, like I said, a conversation about if there are other areas. I think some of the points you're…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Joint ministerial scrutiny session on post-16 education and skills
Jeremy is completely right; it's not about a lack of enthusiasm. It is that degree apprenticeship routes cost money, but also it's the people you have as well. So, you're not just redeploying a budget, you're often redeploying people to design new pathways…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Joint ministerial scrutiny session on post-16 education and skills
And I say this as a parent: if my son does a job he's happy in, I'll be delighted. I don't care what sector it's in. I don't care whether he goes on to further or higher education, I want him to be happy and successful in his life. And he may well have—. I…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Joint ministerial scrutiny session on post-16 education and skills
And it's about—you know, this phrase, 'the brightest', those are people who are academically gifted. There are other people who are fantastically gifted in other ways.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Joint ministerial scrutiny session on post-16 education and skills
So, we're committed to expanding degree apprenticeships, in line with our programme for government. We're going to expand in construction and rail. We've got digital and advanced manufacturing and engineering already on the books, as it were. So, it's really…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Joint ministerial scrutiny session on post-16 education and skills
No, I think Jeremy's covered it, and I appreciate you have other questions you may want to reach.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Joint ministerial scrutiny session on post-16 education and skills
Look, we do regular reviews with Careers Wales about the level of awareness and the number of schools that engage with them. The challenge is how deep is that, and you can always get anecdotal evidence to satisfy whatever perspective you want to take. But it…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Joint ministerial scrutiny session on post-16 education and skills
I can say, as a parent, though, it is hard sometimes to understand the world your children are growing up in, because it is so different to the one that we experienced. There are times when you need to have a bit of reality check that some things may not be…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Joint ministerial scrutiny session on post-16 education and skills
Well, we've jointly agreed a programme with Careers Wales for them to do more on their approach to careers and work-related experience for people at school. And within this, I think the challenge is—. So, Careers Wales definitely have a role, but there is…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Joint ministerial scrutiny session on post-16 education and skills
So, innovation is an obvious area where there'll be continued work with Jeremy, but also with the new commission. Apprenticeship policy, the leadership of that, will still remain—some of that will still remain within the Government, so there'll be a need…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Joint ministerial scrutiny session on post-16 education and skills
Some of that is around the leadership of different departments and the sectoral relationship with the Ministers and the department. So, if you take health as an obvious example, there is a health workforce plan, and there are choices that the health Minister…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Joint ministerial scrutiny session on post-16 education and skills
I'm the lead Minister for skills, but, then, in other times in the Government, the education Minister's been the lead Minister for skills. There's a recognition that it, obviously, crosses between the two domains, deliberately so as well, and it's essential…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Joint ministerial scrutiny session on post-16 education and skills
And funded.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Joint ministerial scrutiny session on post-16 education and skills
Yes. So, some of that is by design, some of it is by necessity, from the creation of the Assembly, as it then was, and the Government, and the Senedd, as we now are. So, some examples: I'm the lead Minister for the young person's guarantee, but, obviously…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Economy
I think it’s been a significant success, and again, I need to recognise Ken Skates’s role in creating DBW in the first place, to some scepticism, but actually, when you look at the five-year results that have been published, there are strong results in every…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Economy
Thank you. The Welsh Government supports investment activity in Welsh businesses through Business Wales and indeed the Development Bank of Wales. Regional economic frameworks and the growth deals are used as investment activity tools and support across Wales…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Economy
There’s a challenge about which areas of the food sector we’re describing and discussing, because actually, over the last 10 years, we have seen the food sector grow significantly—it’s a real success story in that span—and it’s worth recognising that the…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Economy
The Welsh Government works with a variety of partners, including local authorities, to try and offer a comprehensive range of support for new and existing businesses to help them to futureproof and continue to grow where possible. This support is actively…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Economy
I'm more than happy to continue not just to update the Member individually, but also Members generally on progress with free ports. One of my key concerns in conversations with the UK, and, when they turned into conversations rather than the headline shouting…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Economy
Yes. A joint Welsh and UK programme board is overseeing the implementation of prospective free ports in Wales. The prospective free ports will need to demonstrate appropriate governance structures are in place for the set-up phase before any capacity funding…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Economy
Well, we have, of course, seen the opportunity to create a nearly 300,000 ft new, fit-for-purpose office and manufacturing space from the Tech Valleys programme. You're right, about £40 million has been spent on an economic future for Blaenau Gwent. You've…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Economy
I can completely agree with the Member. The Member referenced some of the transport infrastructure—making sure, having invested in the A465, we actually deliver investment to make sure that jobs take place within the northern Valleys and not simply take…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Economy
We're taking a range of measures, including, of course, the Tech Valleys programme, a £100 million programme for government commitment over 10 years to create 1,500 sustainable jobs and to increase the average weekly wage and GVA, focused on Blaenau Gwent…
