Part of 3. 2. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education – in the Senedd at 3:23 pm on 6 July 2016.
I very much agree with the point made by the Member in his question. I think the relationship between employers and colleges and institutions of further education is absolutely crucial in delivering an apprenticeship programme, which meets the needs of the local population and the local economy. One of the expectations that I have is that all further education institutions are responsive to local employers. We know that most are, and we also know that, where we have a number of very large, significant employers—. The Member’s referred to the port authority of Milford Haven; you could equally refer to the refineries in the same sort of area. We know that, where there are those very large employers, that responsiveness is already there. I do sometimes have concerns, where you have an economy that is dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises, that not all those needs are fully understood across the whole face of the country, and that’s one area where I will be focusing over the coming years.