Questions now from the party spokespeople. The Conservative spokesperson, Mohammad Asghar.

Thank you, madam Presiding Officer. Minister, the German vocational education and training system, also known as the dual training system, is highly recognised worldwide due to its combination of teaching and training embedded in the real work environment. The main characteristic of the dual system is co-operation between companies and colleges, regulated by law. Businesses that take part in the dual training scheme consider it to be the best form of personal recruitment by saving on recruitment costs required for the skills and labour needed. What study has the Welsh Government made of the German system to see if there are lessons to be learned that could benefit us in Wales?

Thank you very much. I met recently with the German industry to discuss this very issue. They came in and put forward their model of what is a successful model in Germany. I know that my predecessor in this role actually went to Germany and looked at the model and tried to understand if there was anything that we could pick up from the system. I think the nature of the education systems are very, very different, and they don't have the same number of local authorities. So, it's very difficult to pick up one model and plant it on here, but I do think that what we have recognised is learning on the job and really understanding that practical application of education is something that is beneficial. I've just been to an engineering presentation upstairs where they were saying precisely that—experiential learning actually really engrains the learning in the student. That's why we have really put the emphasis on the apprenticeship model. That's why I think we're very proud of what we've been able to deliver on this and why we are very keen to make sure that we deliver on the 100,000 apprenticeships that we promised during this Assembly term.

Thank you very much indeed, Minister. I'm glad that we're thinking on the same level. In Wales, the Welsh Government pays the employer to take on apprenticeships. In Germany, the Government does not pay the employers but pays for equipment and operation of vocational colleges, which represent some 16 per cent of the total cost of dual training. The companies who provide training contribute the largest share of the financing of dual training—some 80 per cent of the cost. As a result, German apprenticeship is genuinely employer-led and those employer organisations undertake the vast bulk of on-the-job training. What is the Welsh Government doing to ensure apprenticeships in Wales more closely meet the need of Welsh employers?

This, again, is something else that I discussed with the German representative. We talked about how they managed to convince German companies that it was in their interest to invest in their own employees. I think we've had, over the years, quite a lot of European funding, and many employers in Wales have come to depend on European funding to upskill their workers. I think we need to probably start to get them to understand that they also have to put their hand in their own pocket to upskill their own workers and that it's in their interest to upskill their workers, as their productivity will increase and their profitability will increase as a result. That is very different from the culture that exists in Germany, where there's an understanding that they make a contribution. So, we're working towards that change. 

On the relationship and making sure that the courses that we provide are relevant, you will know that we're really trying to push this issue in relation to regional skills partnerships. We've put that additional funding on the table, which further education colleges can't touch unless they're responding to the skills needs of local employers. 

Thank you, Minister. Another criticism that has been levelled against apprenticeship schemes in Wales is that they mainly benefit larger companies and not SMEs. In Germany, there is a permanent system of training, beneficial to both large companies and SMEs. What is the Welsh Government doing to ensure apprenticeships in Wales take account of the needs of SMEs as well as larger companies?

Well, the answer to that is 'a lot more than they're doing in England'. The interesting thing is that the apprenticeship levy is being paid by large companies, and they're given, effectively, tokens to spend and it's only the large companies that have access to the apprenticeship system. There's been such a mess that the actual system is collapsing in England.

We've not gone down that route because we think that it's essential that we do support small and medium-sized enterprises as well. What we're looking for are quality apprenticeships, not just vast numbers, which they're doing in England. So, I think that we can be very proud of the work that we are doing with SMEs. Tomorrow, I'll be meeting with the aerospace industry, where they've come together to provide SMEs across a number of areas—different companies understanding that they can feed off each other. So, we're trying to do a lot more of these shared apprenticeships, so that the burden doesn't fall specifically on any particular small company.

The Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Siân Gwenllian.

Thank you, Llywydd. In light of the agreement between Plaid Cymru and the Labour Party negotiated two years ago, it was agreed that £2 million would be used specifically for promoting the Welsh language. You will be aware that what was at the heart of that agreement between Plaid and yourselves was a commitment to establish a language agency that would be at arm's length in order to do the promotion and language planning work necessary. Can you enlighten us on what happened to that pledge to establish an agency and why it wasn't delivered?

Well, what we had hoped, of course, is that the commissioner would be doing more of the promotional work. As that has perhaps been difficult for the commissioner to undertake, part of that work has come in-house and is being undertaken by officials within Welsh Government. Of course, ideally, we would like to have people at arm's length, people with the skills outwith the Government doing this kind of work. And, of course, ideally, what I would like to see, as we've stated in the White Paper, is that the new commission would be given this responsibility and that that commission would be an arm's-length organisation.

So, you’re still talking about the creation of a commission, which is included in the proposals on the Welsh language Bill, but in the culture committee last week, you said that everything is up in the air in light of Brexit, and you gave no pledge that there would be a Bill before the end of this Assembly term or a commission either.

In your manifesto for your hopes of becoming First Minister of Wales, I understand that there is no mention of one of the Government’s main policies and, indeed, the main policy that you've been responsible for promoting, namely the target of creating 1 million Welsh speakers by 2050, or any talk about the Welsh language Bill either. Can we take from that that that you don't feel passionate about the Welsh language Bill proposals and that they won't be continued were you to become First Minister?

Well, I don't think it's appropriate for me to respond to the contents of my personal manifesto as a spokesperson on behalf of Welsh Government in this place. What I can tell you is that, as regards the Welsh language Bill, of course we hope that that Bill will come before us. At present, you are just as aware as I am of the mess that is taking place from the point of view of Brexit, and that’s the only reason why we're in a position to be clear that it isn't possible to make this commitment that we would like to make because of the chaos ensuing from Brexit at the moment.

Well, I think it is very pertinent that I ask that question, but I didn't get a response, of course.

You did acknowledge at the culture committee that the promotional arrangements were deficient—to return to promotion—and that the Welsh language division, in its current form, doesn't have the capacity to be doing that meaningful and strategic promotional work. We truly need action on language planning in order to create those 1 million Welsh speakers and I received some advice from the Assembly’s Legal Services that shows that an arm's-length agency to promote the Welsh language could be established without new legislation, and it refers to the work done by the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol and the establishment of that organisation with broad-ranging responsibilities through a memorandum and articles. 

Another area that your lack of direction with the Bill and the strategy is affecting is people’s ability to access Welsh language services when dealing with bodies that are crucial to the everyday lives of citizens. Unlike what you suggested at committee, in implementing the current Measure you could impose standards on the utilities, on transport companies, on housing associations and telecommunications companies. So, if there is no timetable for the establishment of a commission, nor a timetable for introducing a Welsh language Bill, may I ask you for a timetable in terms of this? When will it be possible for the people of Wales to be able to access these crucial services, which aren't reliant on new legislation?

I think that a huge amount of work has already been done internally, within the Government, as regards promoting the Welsh language and I would like to see the commissioner doing more of that work, and we’re in discussions to see whether, as a result of the fact that we won’t be seeing the imposition of more standards at present, there’s a possibility of seeing the current commissioner doing more of that work. That is the vision and that is what we are hoping for. But I do believe that a great deal of work has already been done over the past two years as regards promotion.

As regards imposing standards, we have said that we will have a break from that as we develop the Bill, and we of course hope that this Bill will be introduced and passed during this period, before the next election. So, I don’t believe that anything has changed apart from the fact that Brexit is likely to cause all sorts of chaos to all our current arrangements.

UKIP spokesperson, David Rowlands.

Diolch, Llywydd. Some 18 to 20 years ago, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair famously made a pledge to have 50 per cent of young adults progressing to a higher education by 2010. This target seems to have been enthusiastically embraced by the Welsh Government, because latest figures show that we are close to achieving that target in Wales. However, Cabinet Minister, the problem lies in that almost half of our new graduates are working in non-graduate jobs. Does the Cabinet Secretary not agree that this shows a significant mismatch in the education that students receive and the skills needed for industry? 

No, I do not believe that to be the case. I want to ensure that Welsh-domiciled students that have the academic ability and the desire to study at a higher education level have the opportunity to do so, and are supported by the most generous system of student support in the United Kingdom.  

Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for your answer. We in UKIP believe that many students would be better off following another route to their desired career path; in other words, education should be more closely linked to employability rather than pure educational qualifications. Given such statistics as those quoted in the Wales section of the employer skills survey of 2017, which shows a sizable increase in the proportion of skills shortage vacancies in the construction sector, for instance—some 40 per cent of the vacancies in the Welsh construction industry are down to skills shortages—is it not time, Cabinet Secretary, that a much greater emphasis should now be placed on getting our children into vocational education? 

Perish the thought, Presiding Officer, that we should value education for education's sake. Can I just say that the Welsh Government has committed to a comprehensive reform of post-compulsory education and training, which looks to break down the barriers between higher education, further education, work-based learning and apprenticeships to allow students to be able to have more flexible learning opportunities? I recently met a little boy who said his aspiration was either to do an apprenticeship or to go to university. I hope by the time he's 18 that he won't have to choose; he will be able to do a higher degree apprenticeship by both training on the job and being in university.  

Again, I thank the Cabinet Secretary for her answer. Regional labour market reports published by the Welsh Government also have an interesting story to tell with regard to skills shortages. My region of south-east Wales has its highest skills shortage vacancies in the sectors of manufacturing, construction, transport and communications. The mid Wales region, where of course your constituency lies, has a somewhat different picture—business services, transport and communications having the highest skills shortage vacancies in that part of Wales. This would suggest that the vocational training given to our students should have a regional approach; even in rural areas they should not concentrate exclusively on agriculture. Cabinet Secretary, is the educational sector aware of this diversity and is it adequately addressing these needs, particularly with regard to the vocational sector?  

Well, of course, Presiding Officer, the Member is right to say that different areas of Wales will require different skill sets to respond appropriately to the economy in that area. I would refer the Member to the statement given by my colleague yesterday, the Minister for skills and lifelong learning, which spoke of the reform to the way in which we are funding, for instance, further education to better align college provision with the requests of the regional skills partnerships and local businesses, so there is a greater synergy between what college courses are on offer in a local area to meet the skills needs of the employers of that area.