Skills partnership to launch new masterplan for education and training

A NEW skills and employment plan will aim to meet demand for training and education in key sectors across North Wales.

The North Wales Regional Skills Partnership collaborated with private and public sector partners to produce the 2019-2022 strategy.

Welsh Government Minister for Economy and Transport Ken Skates and Partnership chair David Roberts will be among the speakers when the Plan is launched at Venue Cymru in Llandudno on November 28.

The content focuses on supply, demand and delivery of skills training across the six counties, with emphasis on close working with colleges, universities and industry leaders to identify and share best practice on staff development and work-based learning.

To help shape the proposals, more than 350 companies attended focus groups and responded to a consultation, giving a ‘real-world’ view of the challenges facing myriad sectors.

Sian Lloyd-Roberts, Regional Skills Manager, said: “This Plan will help Welsh Government to deliver a post-16 learning environment that meets the needs of learners, industry and providers.

“It will steer the work of the North Wales Regional Skills Partnership for the next three years and maps the skills requirement for our growth sectors and major investment in the area, including the North Wales Growth Deal.

“It is important that our post-16 offer aligns to the needs of industry locally to ensure that we have the right skills pipeline in the region – a pipeline that allow our young people to get a job and progress in the workplace.”

Mr Roberts added: “Skills are fundamental to our continuing economic success. Increasingly, it is skills, not just qualifications that employers look for first.

“We recognise that as a region we need to do more to improve the skills of our people by creating a better match between what our employers are looking for and what the system provides.

“As well as putting forward priorities in support of specific sectors, the plan also sets out the key challenges that face us and what actions are needed to encourage a change in our skills system.

“We look forward to working with colleagues across the region to implement the collective ambitions set out, and create a skills system which underpins a strong, inclusive, and outward-looking economy.”

Welcoming the proposals, Welsh Government Minister for Economy and Transport Ken Skates said improved skills provision could only have a positive impact on industry.

“This is a particularly exciting time for the region with the progress of the North Wales Growth Deal and other developments such as the game-changing AMRC Cymru,” he said.

“Ensuring we have the right skills in place to ensure the region’s economy continues to prosper, and individuals are able to take full advantage of the opportunities on offer is vital. The new Skills and Employment Plan is a valuable contribution towards achieving this goal.”