Diolch, Llywydd. I am pleased to be able to inform the National Assembly that the Welsh Government is on track to meet our manifesto commitment to deliver a minimum of 100,000 all-age, high-quality apprenticeships by the end of this Assembly term. Thanks to a remarkable effort from employers, providers and advice services, we have delivered 56,635 apprenticeship starts between May 2016 and July 2018. As we promised to do, we have focused on raising the quality of apprenticeships, and are aligning them with the needs of the Welsh economy, putting us in a stronger position to deal with the impact of globalisation, developments in automation and the fallout from Brexit.

There have been criticisms that we are not following the approach of the Government in England, but the emerging evidence is showing we have been right to take a strategic approach. Our apprenticeship scheme is on track. The English scheme is in free fall. The number of starts in Wales has increased. Last week, the National Audit Office reported that instead of rising as they had hoped, the apprenticeship starts in England are 25 per cent lower than they were two years ago, and it said the UK Government is 'very unlikely' to meet its target. We have taken a fair amount of stick from the opposition on this, and the evidence at this stage shows that we are right and they're wrong.

Welsh apprenticeships are being designed differently, to improve productivity and meet strategic skills needs. Our investment is being tailored to the needs of employers in each region, based on the recommendations from the regional skills partnerships, labour market information and sector reviews carried out by Qualifications Wales. The needs of the businesses that power our economy are central. We have created the Wales apprenticeship advisory board to provide robust challenge on skills content, and advice on the scope and range of apprenticeship frameworks. It is chaired by the Confederation of British Industry, and includes large employers and SMEs from across Wales.

We are not providing vouchers for courses that employers would run anyway in many cases, but providing clear skills progression, so that Welsh workers can move into higher value and better rewarding employment, with better life chances. We've looked at the evidence from other European countries and we are prioritising the expansion of higher apprenticeships in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and technical subjects to create a new generation of professionals to drive innovative practices, create new products and boost productivity levels. This means we are focusing on apprenticeships at level 3 and above, where returns on investment are high. As we develop our approach to nurturing the foundational economy, we'll continue to reflect on the needs of grounded firms and essential services.