Economic Growth in Cynon Valley

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:13 pm on 8 May 2018.

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Photo of Carwyn Jones Carwyn Jones Labour 2:13, 8 May 2018

I agree. The reason why, of course, productivity is historically low, not just in Wales but in the rest of the UK, is that over many years, there was a lack of investment in skills development. We know that the more skilled people are, the more productive they are and the more they can earn. I've said this before in the Chamber: why is it that, if we give a German worker a particular machine, we get far more out of it than a worker in the UK? Why? Training. That's the reason for it, and that's the lesson we must learn. How are we doing it? Working with higher education bodies, who are working hard in their communities. Further education colleges—we have new colleges that have been built across Wales, offering fantastic facilities for local people. The Valleys taskforce has, at its very heart, the desire to ensure that people can have better jobs closer to home, and that means, of course, making sure that they have access to the skills that they need. But it is hugely important as well to make sure that jobs don't leave Valleys communities, and that's why I was so disappointed to see that the Department for Work and Pensions have decided to centralise lots of jobs that have come from other valleys in Treforest. They're not new jobs; they're jobs that have simply been moved around. Unfortunately, for many people, that will mean that they will now find they have to travel further in order to keep the jobs that they have. That is the wrong direction.