£1.2bn City Deal can offer help to valleys apprentices
Don’t leave young apprentice learners in the south Wales valleys out of the £1.2bn City Deal for Cardiff Capital Region, says Judith Evans, Principal of Coleg y Cymoedd
WITH more than £1.2bn set to be invested in the region, the City Deal is undoubtedly set to bring plenty of job and apprenticeship opportunities to young people looking for employment in the area.
The programme is positive news for south Wales, particularly for Cardiff itself but, while the city centre is certain to benefit from the deal, it’s essential that the region is addressed as a whole so that young people in the surrounding areas of Cardiff have the same opportunities as those who happen to be born in the city and more affluent areas.
The City Deal offers the chance to provide this equality of opportunity, creating jobs in the valleys, as well as in the capital. We are already seeing positive steps in this direction with the announcement that the Transport of Wales centre will relocate to Pontypridd – steps that need to continue, particularly in regard to apprenticeships.
The importance of apprenticeships should not be underestimated. They provide young people with a real alternative to the traditional A level route as well as a second chance for those without qualifications.
Apprenticeships are also a practical and effective way of tackling unemployment among 16 to 24-year-olds. Consider the statistics – for every £1 invested in an apprentice, there is a £74 return compared to a £57 return for every £1 invested in the average university degree.
Add to this the fact that a typical apprenticeship framework costs around £4,000 to £16,000 compared to at least £27,000 for an undergraduate degree, and it’s clear that apprentices are worth investing in.
To maximise the opportunities for the south Wales valleys, it’s imperative we ensure that a skilled workforce is in place ready to take on these roles as and when they arise. This is the same sentiment echoed by employers time and time again across the capital region.
Further education providers such as colleges play a key role in upskilling our future workforce, firstly, by developing and delivering relevant courses that prepare learners for upcoming employment opportunities such as the Transport for Wales’ relocation to Pontypridd.
At Coleg y Cymoedd for example, with the support of the Welsh Government, we’ve invested in first of their kind railway training facilities, to ensure we have a pipeline of learners who are able to move straight into employment within the sector.
The railway sector has already invested in this centre, with Furrer & Frey and Network Rail among others, providing specialist equipment to train the workforces they need here.
Secondly, FE providers recognise the need to work with industry to plan strategically across the region to meet employers’ needs for the future, identifying skills gaps, and working together with them to fill these. Addressing priority sectors, such as Wales’ growing staff shortage within the health service, is central to this.
Colleges are ensuring that they collaborate with a wide range of employers who are committed to providing learners with employment opportunities at the end of their courses. Knowing that they will have a position at the end of the apprenticeship makes a huge difference to learners, impacting positively on their studies.
At the same time, businesses are responding positively to the opportunities by further developing their succession plans to fill more vacan-
cies with apprenticeships.
A regional approach to targeting employers, encouraging those who are not currently engaged in apprenticeships to recognise their value and come on board, will be vital. With the introduction of the apprenticeship levy, more employers will turn their attention to apprenticeships and the region will need to build upon existing networks of providers to help deliver these.
Shared apprenticeship schemes, whereby multiple employers take on numerous apprentices between them, enabling them to develop a variety of skills, are an avenue that also needs to be further explored.
Such schemes where local authorities take on the apprentices, removing the administrative burden from small and medium sized enterprises, increases their likeliness of engaging in apprenticeship programmes.
This model has been very successful in Blaenau Gwent and is being considered by other local authorities.
Arguably one of the most important elements to ensuring a parity of opportunity for people in the region will lie in improved and subsidised transport.
Young people living in the valleys must be able to easily access training and apprenticeships, yet for the majority this currently involves unnecessarily long and costly journeys. Often on minimum wage, these individuals are essentially being penalised for where they live – something which absolutely must change.
The plans proposed for the City Deal are certainly very promising and with the right infrastructure, transport links and business collaboration, there is no reason why individuals from both the capital and the city’s outskirts cannot equally benefit from the opportunities that arise.