6. What is the Welsh Government doing to ensure that there is a workforce with the appropriate skills in Wales? OAQ(5)0206(FM)

One of the things we’re doing, of course, is to create a minimum of 100,000 all-age apprenticeships during this Assembly term, and that will continue our focus on raising overall skills.

Would the First Minister be able to tell us what progress has been made on preparations for the introduction of the apprenticeship levy, which was proposed by the former Chancellor, George Osborne? And what are the consequences of that for Wales?

It’s an issue that cuts across much of the work that we are doing. I know that the Minister has been involved in many discussions with the UK Government on this. It is an area where—. I don’t believe many businesses know about it, actually, because, when I’ve raised it with many businesses, they’re not aware that the levy is coming and what it would mean for them in terms of cost and certainly not what they might get out of it. So, I think the UK Government still has a great deal of work to do in informing businesses of how it would work, and particularly what it means in terms of meshing with the programmes we already run as a devolved Government.

There is evidence, of course, that children who fall behind in the early years, particularly in terms of cognitive development, are more likely to struggle later in life in terms of lifetime opportunities. There is now evidence showing that having degree-level practitioners in the early years context is of great assistance in ensuring that that doesn’t happen. Now, your Government, of course, will, in the spring, publish the early years workforce plan, which, hopefully, will give workers in that sector the necessary skills. Will that plan include a clear commitment to ensure that practitioners in the sector are at degree level, particularly those working with children living in poverty?

This will be something that will be discussed during the preparations before the plan is published, but we wish to ensure those working with children when the children are at an earlier age have the skills required in order to ensure that the best pathway is followed by those children.

The Older People’s Commissioner for Wales has stressed the need to keep our older people in the workforce and to bring them back to work as well. How will the Welsh Government ensure that the 100,000 high-quality apprenticeships promised in his programme for government are delivered on a needs base rather than on the age of the person in Wales?

Well, the intention is, of course, that it’s all-age. I think the question here is making sure that we work with those people who want to come back to work. Some might be retired. They may feel that they are financially comfortable. And, of course, for many people who are retired, they are the basis for the volunteers that we have across Wales. One of the issues that we face as a society, I believe, as people work longer, is the prospect that there will be fewer volunteers in the future because people have less time on their hands. But, nevertheless, the whole point of the all-age scheme is to make sure that it is just that: all-age.

First Minister, I recently met with Careers Wales staff in Aberdare, and they told me how they’re using the ReAct programme to ensure that people in my constituency who have been affected by redundancy have the skills they need to seek alternative employment. Do you agree with me, First Minister, that Careers Wales and the ReAct programme have a crucial role to play in helping people develop the skills that are needed to re-enter or stay in the workforce?

ReAct has been very, very successful, and it’s certainly—. The example that the Member has given illustrates that. From our perspective, we’ll continue to ensure that schemes like ReAct and others that have been so successful over the years continue to work for the benefit of people in terms of them acquiring the skills that they need to enter the workforce.