7. Statement by the Minister for Welsh Language and Lifelong Learning: The Employability Plan

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:27 pm on 20 March 2018.

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Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour 5:27, 20 March 2018

Just to be clear, the employment advice gateway is targeted at unemployed, economically inactive people and NEETs, but Careers Wales is available for all, and it's the same organisation. So, the advice, and the possibility of going to Careers Wales for advice exists and is available for individuals currently. I think what's really important is that we really look at in-work poverty. That's the really big problem that we have today: in-work poverty. You're absolutely right, we can't just leave it at people who are already unemployed. We've got to encourage people to upskill and to improve the kind of employment that they have, so that they can get better wages and lift themselves out of that poverty. So, that's what we're hoping will happen as a result of this programme.

In terms of the focus on employers, I think we've got to underline that we're not doing this to punish them, we're doing this so that they can help themselves. If they invest in their own people, in their own workforce, then they are more likely to benefit. So, what's clear is that if you look at management, for example, in Wales, there's a lot of work to do in some areas to improve people's skills in relation to management and all other areas. So, getting them to improve the skills and abilities of their own workforces will improve their own productivity and improve, sometimes, if they're a private sector employer, their profit margins. So, we know that that is the case.