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Skills That Work for Wales

A skills and employment strategySkills, Business and Employability division

Welsh Assembly Government

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The importance of skills

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Sector employment trends

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Trends towards better jobs: Wales/UK

-10%

-5%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

Managers, professionalsand associate professionals

Administrative, skilledtrades and personal

services

Sales, process operatives,elementary

Wales

UK

Percentage change in employees 2001-2006

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Trends towards higher skills in Wales

Highest qualification held by adults of working age since 2001

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

No quals

Below Level 2

Level 2 or equivalent

Level 3 or equivalent

Level 4-6 or equivalent

Level7-8 or equivalent

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The low skills ‘tail’ in Wales

Proportion of adults of working age with no qualifications, by Government Office Region, 2006

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

South East

South West

England

London

Eastern

East Midlands

UK

North East

Scotland

Yorkshire & Humberside

North West

Wales

West Midlands

Northern Ireland

Go

ve

rnm

en

t O

ffic

e R

eg

ion

Per cent

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Policy context

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Leitch Review of Skills: analysis

• UK - high employment but poor productivity

• Economic trends - increased demand for higher skills – ‘Knowledge Economy’ jobs

• Current policy – little global reach/ambition

• 3 scenarios – invest in low, intermediate or high skills

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Leitch Review of Skills: recommendations

• New vision: UK to become a world leader in skills by 2020, doubling attainment at most levels

• Responsibility for delivery shared between Govt, employers and individuals

• Build a ‘demand-led’ system of higher level learning

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Webb Review of FE

• The challenge: end FE underperformance and learner ‘disengagement’

• The drivers of change: learner entitlement, employer influence, reconfiguration

• 136 recommendations including 14-19 commissioning consortia, more employer-led training, FE mergers and federations

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Skills That Work for Wales [STWfW]: Vision

“A strong and enterprising economy with full employment based on quality jobs”

(One Wales)

Supported by

• seamless skills, employment and business support services that are responsive to learner/employer needs and demand

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STWfW key principles

• Employers must have real influence

• Shared responsibility between the Assembly Government, employers and individuals

• Integration of skills, employment and business support

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STWfW policy proposals

New approaches to funding

• Contributions policy to focus public money on priorities

• A principle of ‘shared responsibility’

• Sector Priorities Fund to deliver priorities in SSAs, encouraging partnerships between providers, businesses, sector representatives

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STWfW policy proposals 2

More responsiveness to demand

• New Wales Employment and Skills Board, UK Commission for Employment and Skills

• Stronger role for SSCs

• Reformed vocational qualifications

• Expanded Workforce Development Programme

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STWfW success indicators

• Progress towards full employment (80% employment rate)

• Improvement in the qualifications of the Welsh workforce

• More individuals and employers participating in learning

• More of them expressing satisfaction with their learning experiences