23 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Apprenticeship pathways - Panel 2 - Colleges and Apprenticeship Providers
Sorry to cut across, but when you say that some people see them as the old wet trades, where's that breakdown in that knowledge of what apprenticeships are? Is that the careers advice within schools, the teachers, parents?
23 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Apprenticeship pathways - Panel 2 - Colleges and Apprenticeship Providers
Brilliant. The second set of questions that I've got here—and a lot of this has been touched on in answers to other colleagues throughout the morning—is on those potential barriers for apprentices. We've touched on the employer capacity—Barry, you mentioned…
23 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Apprenticeship pathways - Panel 2 - Colleges and Apprenticeship Providers
That's really helpful. Grant.
23 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Apprenticeship pathways - Panel 2 - Colleges and Apprenticeship Providers
Before I come to you, Grant, Barry, just to stay on that point around the funding element of it, is the funding sometimes too prescriptive for the learner? I'm looking back at another inquiry we've done on something completely separate. Their ask was that…
23 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Apprenticeship pathways - Panel 2 - Colleges and Apprenticeship Providers
Okay. Thank you. Anything to add, Barry?
23 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Apprenticeship pathways - Panel 2 - Colleges and Apprenticeship Providers
Thank you very much. Staying with you, Lisa, I'm just wondering—. You've stated that the Welsh Government has responded well to demands from employers on apprenticeship pathways but note that the speed of the response is a challenge and can hinder filling the…
23 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Apprenticeship pathways - Panel 2 - Colleges and Apprenticeship Providers
Okay. Thank you, Lisa.
23 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Apprenticeship pathways - Panel 2 - Colleges and Apprenticeship Providers
Lisa, anything to add on that around Medr’s role, given its new set-up, on collation of data?
23 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Apprenticeship pathways - Panel 2 - Colleges and Apprenticeship Providers
Okay.
23 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Apprenticeship pathways - Panel 2 - Colleges and Apprenticeship Providers
So, Medr should be the body that’s collating this data.
23 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Apprenticeship pathways - Panel 2 - Colleges and Apprenticeship Providers
Where’s that failure come from, then, the lack of the ability to collect the data? And whose—we’ve talked about Medr and Estyn and other organisations involved—responsibility should it be to collate this data?
23 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Apprenticeship pathways - Panel 2 - Colleges and Apprenticeship Providers
Thank you. Barry.
23 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Apprenticeship pathways - Panel 2 - Colleges and Apprenticeship Providers
Fab, thank you. Grant.
23 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Apprenticeship pathways - Panel 2 - Colleges and Apprenticeship Providers
Thank you very much, Chair. Good morning, both, and Lisa online as well. Needs of the employers and the economy is where I’m going to start my line of questioning, and I asked the same question of the previous panel around Estyn’s reporting that there’s no…
23 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Apprenticeship pathways - Panel 1 - Strategic Overview
Do you have anything to add, Sharron or Rhian? No. Thank you. Thank you, Chair.
23 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Apprenticeship pathways - Panel 1 - Strategic Overview
That’s quite helpful, because in west Wales, we know the benefits of apprenticeships, with Valero, the oil refinery, and in north Wales there's Airbus. But those big employers aren’t everywhere in Wales, so accessing apprenticeships in SMEs—plumbers…
23 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Apprenticeship pathways - Panel 1 - Strategic Overview
Thank you. Sharron, do you have anything to add?
23 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Apprenticeship pathways - Panel 1 - Strategic Overview
Just to come back in there quickly, is the simplification of that a benefit? Is it too simple to say that, actually, just one direction would be better? Is that wide breadth of where apprenticeships are trying to tap into, as you explained, to the detriment…
23 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Apprenticeship pathways - Panel 1 - Strategic Overview
That's a really helpful analysis. Rhian, you mentioned there that national picture gap, and one question that I've raised before is the job readiness of apprenticeships so that those individuals going through an apprenticeship are fulfilling the needs…
23 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Apprenticeship pathways - Panel 1 - Strategic Overview
Thank you very much, Chair. I'm going to focus around economic needs. Estyn has reported that there is no published national analysis of trends in the offer and take-up of vocational courses set against the context of the needs of the labour market and the…
22 January 2025 , Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Speech and language therapists
Diolch yn fawr. One issue that I've come across with speech and language therapists in west Wales is that private speech and language therapists aren't being allowed into schools to be able to assist with children who require them, because they're not…
22 January 2025 , Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Cancer services
This debate today addresses a subject that affects every community in Wales. Cancer touches us all, family members, friends, colleagues, and neighbours. Ensuring timely, effective care for those facing this devastating disease is not just important; it's…
21 January 2025 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs: Growing the Timber Industry in Wales: Jobs and Green Growth
I welcome the opportunity to respond to this statement on the development of Wales's first timber industrial strategy. While the ambitions outlined in the statement are commendable, Deputy First Minister, there are several areas that require greater clarity…
15 January 2025 , Plenary
Short Debate: The Heads of the Valleys road: Investing in our future economy
I was really touched by your speech this afternoon, Alun, about the wider impact that infrastructure projects can have on communities. We often talk about, and I have as well at length, freight moving goods, but let’s not forget the movement of people and the…
15 January 2025 , Plenary
Short Debate: The Heads of the Valleys road: Investing in our future economy
Thank you to Alun Davies for the opportunity to contribute to the short debate this afternoon.
