Apprenticeships work and have a huge impact on young people, employers and our economy, and are vital for our future in Wales.
As the largest provider of apprenticeships in the country, CAVC Group delivers a £40m apprenticeship contract on behalf of the Welsh Government. This sees the delivery of circa 14,500 apprenticeships across more than 2,000 employers in the Cardiff Capital Region and beyond each year.
From SMEs and micro businesses to large employers in the private, public and third sector – apprenticeships power a pipeline of new and needed skilled talent for business and also enable employers to upskill, develop and diversify their existing workforce. Whether a self-employed professional looking to take on a new apprentice or a global inward investor needing to create a new skilled workforce, apprenticeships are proven to meet the need. And the impact on business growth, productivity and sustainability is seen by each.
Apprenticeships are working across more than 50 different industry sectors in Wales – including Construction, Health and Care, Automotive, Engineering, Financial Services, Business Management, Building Services, Creative Industries and more. The span is vast, with apprenticeships the main driver for ensuring a skilled and qualified workforce for individual businesses, public services and whole regional priority sectors. Earlier this year, a report by The Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) demonstrated how a reduction in apprenticeships would most significantly impact priority sectors including Health and Construction.
In Wales, investment in apprenticeships enables us to be agile, work with employers to create a skilled workforce now and for the future, provide sector and place-based solutions and help secure inward investment from employers who see this. They are an asset to Wales and an enabler for economic prosperity.
And the impact is not just on business and the economy. Each apprenticeship adds to our skilled workforce in Wales, supporting an individual to start and develop a prosperous long-term career. Apprenticeships engage young people, providing the opportunity for a school leaver to start their career, work and earn. A focused fast-track pathway to a sustainable career, free of charge and supported, removing barriers to learning – which I benefitted from first-hand as a former apprentice and have seen countless more benefit from through my career in industry and education. Additionally, apprenticeships are driving experienced professionals to upskill and diversify, with programmes at Level 4 and 5 enabling each to further their skills, prospects and earnings, whilst working and adding further value to their employer.
Long-term careers and the creation of more job opportunities grows prosperity and places less burden on society – supporting the individual in work, their dependents and inspiring others to do the same. In fact, in CAVC Group alone, our work is contributing half a billion pounds to the economy of the Cardiff Capital Region and more than 1 billion pounds to UK society each year (EMSI).
If we have young people securing apprenticeship employment, motivated to start a career, this should be supported. These apprentices are our future skilled workforce, the next leaders, the future entrepreneurs – the people we need to support the prosperity of Wales.
If we have employers committed to growing their skilled workforce and employing more people, this should be supported.
Apprenticeships support prosperity – of individuals, employers, communities, our economy and society. Investing in them makes sense for our future.
