Part of 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport – in the Senedd at 2:02 pm on 10 January 2018.
I can tell the Member that the Wales that we want, I think, is a Wales where nobody is left behind. The Member highlighted the challenge that many younger people have faced in recent years in accessing jobs. The Member wasn't a Member of the previous Assembly, where we took forward Jobs Growth Wales, but that is a particular programme that has led to 17,000 young people in Wales having an opportunity to work, to gain the skills and the experience to stay in work. And as a consequence, I believe it's more than 70 per cent who have gone on to secure full-time employment or further training that subsequently has led them into full-time, secure work. It's absolutely imperative that we go on supporting projects such as Jobs Growth Wales and the emerging employability plan to ensure that young people, and, indeed, people who are currently in work, can access higher quality jobs. But it's also worth pointing out that Wales is amongst very few nations that have a strong vision for fair work, for a country where the proper, decent living wage is adopted by employers, where trade unions are recognised, where people can expect a fair day's pay for a fair day's work, and where people can expect dignity and respect in the workplace.