An extra £40 million is to be spent by the Welsh Government to boost the number of apprenticeships offered in Wales.
The extra cash, over the next two years, will be used to encourage businesses, particularly small to medium businesses, to take on apprentices.
Jeff Cuthbert, Deputy Minister for Skills, said the money would also be used to increase the number of Higher Level Apprenticeships. It is hoped an extra 5,650 apprenticeships will be created.
He said: “Apprenticeships play an integral role in our economy. They increase the skill set of the workforce and make Wales a more attractive place with which to do business.
“This is why I want more businesses to realise the potential of apprenticeships and why we have committed £40 million over two years to increase and support apprenticeship delivery.
“The skills developed by an apprentice are skills for life. This makes an apprenticeship programme as valued as a place at a top university, and I want people to be aware of this.”
The announcement follows a report from the Business and Enterprise Committee’s Inquiry into apprenticeships last autumn.
It found that although Wales has a strong apprenticeship programme, there are not enough businesses using it.
FSB Wales welcomes Welsh Government announcement on Apprenticeships
FSB Wales has welcomed the announcement today by the Deputy Minister for Skills that more than five and a half thousand additional apprenticeships will be created over the next two years. Skills are critical to economic development and apprenticeships are an excellent way of training people in the skills sets that businesses need to develop and grow.
In a recent survey of FSB members, many said that difficulty in recruiting apprentices was a barrier to success. Just over a third said that a wage subsidy would be an incentive to take on an apprenticeship, and 16 per cent said that having an organisation to handle the administration of recruitment would be an added incentive.
The Welsh Government’s announcement, based on a draft budget agreement with Plaid Cymru, has been welcomed by the Federation of Small Businesses.
Janet Jones, Welsh Policy Unit Chair for FSB, said: “As the Deputy Minister acknowledged in his statement, he has listened to the concerns of small businesses voiced by FSB Wales and has come forward with practical solutions to help businesses in Wales take on more apprentices. We welcome also his commitment to continue to engage with stakeholders like ourselves to identify other barriers associated with the recruitment of apprentices.
“Too few of our small and medium-sized businesses have taken on apprentices in the past and we are committed to increasing that number with the support of government.
“We also take note of the lobbying work done by Plaid Cymru in raising this issue in their budget discussions, and the inquiry of the Enterprise and Business Committee – which we fed into – which drew attention to the fact that the full potential of apprenticeships in supporting the Welsh economy remained unrealised.
“We at FSB Wales can feel satisfied that our campaigning on this important issue has borne fruit.”
Caerphilly firm backs apprenticeships
Caerphilly-based software company Solviq Ltd has recently taken on 22-year-old Julian Luxford as a full-time apprentice.
Director Steve Talbot, said: “We are a small firm and would normally hire freelancers to assist with web design development projects, but we have definitely benefited from having Julian join the team as a full-time graphic designer.
“I would certainly recommend that other companies take on apprentices because it gives employers the chance to help young people learn and develop their skills, while helping their business to grow. In taking on Julian we’ve added a great asset to the team and I firmly believe that we wouldn’t be where we are now without him.”
Graphic design graduate Julian joined Solviq in August 2012, just a month after graduating from Cardiff Metropolitan University.
Speaking of his experiences he said: “Doing an apprenticeship gives you an insight into the working world, and I have found that it has allowed me to learn the practical skills I needed to supplement the theory I studies at university.”