Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:12 pm on 14 June 2016.
Can I thank the Minister for her statement? Minister, I recently met with the principal of Merthyr college and our dialogue included discussions around apprenticeship programmes delivered in conjunction with employers such as General Dynamics in Merthyr, which, working in partnership with Merthyr college, is creating two new all-age apprenticeship programmes starting in September 2016, when the first staff start taking up their employment at that facility. Those apprenticeships will be in manufacturing, engineering and mechanical fitter/craft apprenticeships. Will the Minister join me in applauding initiatives such as this, which will help to deliver Welsh Labour’s commitment to create 100,000 new apprenticeships in Wales during this Assembly term? Does she also agree that delivering apprenticeships funded by the public purse—and by that I mean both Welsh Government and European funding—through further education colleges like Merthyr could revitalise the further education sector as well as delivering best value for money by reinvesting in the public sector?