Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:42 pm on 7 February 2017.
The Member can rest assured that I will not a take a flinty and Thatcherite approach to this project, and against his best efforts, I will not be giving an indication of a decision that may be made within the next 10 days. But the Member is right to say that there are historic structural challenges that need to be overcome, not just in west Wales but in other parts of Wales where we need to see an improvement in gross value added and productivity, and in the levels of skills that are acquired by people. For that reason, I applaud the Minister for Skills and Science today for launching the new apprenticeship programme to create 100,000—as a minimum—all-age quality apprenticeships, which, of course, will come of great benefit to parts of Wales such as Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire, where there are shared apprenticeship programmes being utilised by many people, and where I know there are a number of employers who are currently looking at taking on more apprentices. The key in growing a regional economy is in having agglomeration and proper skills provision, and I’ve been very keen, in scrutinising this particular project, to be sure that the partners that have expressed an interest in going to Yr Egin really will make good on that interest, and that we will see a concentration, within the hub, of creative industries experts who can offer the job opportunities that are promised.