A £70 million three year project which aims to raise the skills of the workforce in Wales' most deprived areas has been announced by Welsh Assembly Government Deputy Minister for Skills, John Griffiths.
The new Modern Apprenticeship World Class Skills project will help more than 22,500 people raise their skill levels - with more than 14,000 training places made possible thanks to £40 million of European funding.
Core-funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and the European Social Fund (ESF) for the Convergence area of West Wales and the Valleys, the scheme has already helped 25,000 people under a previous initiative. The new project will provide three levels of training through Pre-Apprenticeship, Foundation and Modern Apprenticeship levels to meet the skills needs of people and employers across Wales.
The project will stimulate involvement in and support Wales' push towards competing in the next two World Skills competitions, being held in Canada in 2009, and in London in 2011. It will also pilot activities to inform and improve the future delivery of apprenticeship programmes in Wales, including Shared Apprenticeship pilots within the construction and engineering sectors.
John Griffiths said, "I am delighted to announce the approval of the Modern Apprenticeship project which will equip many thousands of people with the skills they need to progress in employment, meet the skills needs of employers and drive forward Wales' economy.
"One Wales makes a strong commitment to increasing the number of apprenticeships in Wales. This new Modern Apprenticeship project will help to achieve our goals of ensuring 70% of working age adults in Wales have qualifications equivalent to Level 2 or above and 80% have basic literacy skills by 2010."
Welsh Assembly Government Education Minister Jane Hutt commented, "This is wonderful news for Wales - investment in skills is investment in our future. As a government we are committed to improving skill levels and our 'Skills that Work for Wales' strategy sets out our vision for raising the skill levels of Wales' workforce. This investment will play a key role in taking this agenda forward."
As well as the World Class Skills project, an additional £2 million from the ESF is helping to deliver a unique three-year scheme in West Wales and the Valleys. The £3.5 million Level 4 Modern Skills Diploma (MSD) will enable over 1,400 people of all ages to develop and enhance their vocational and managerial skills. The initiative will target individuals working in small and medium enterprises as well as potential high growth companies from a wide range of sectors.
Speaking about the project, Deputy First Minister, and Minister for the Economy and Transport, Ieuan Wyn Jones said, "Improving the skills of the Welsh workforce is essential to enhance the performance of our economy and raise the prosperity of our people. The new Apprenticeship projects will play a key role in achieving this goal - and will demonstrate how the Welsh Assembly Government us using European Structural Funds to contribute in a very effective way to equipping our workforce with skills for the 21st Century."