Can I thank the Member for his question? I don't think there is a skills Minister that's served in this or any other Government since devolution that hasn't taken a keen interest in the German dual system and considered whether it could be transplanted from Germany to Wales. However, each and every skills Minister has concluded that we need to develop a system that's, okay, informed by the very best around the world, but one that doesn't necessarily replicate exactly any one single system. Indeed, the political theorist de Tocqueville warned against us simply trying to replicate cultures exactly as they are in different countries, because there are certain moeurs that cannot be transplanted from one country to another. Instead, you have to develop your own system that responds to your own distinct needs and the idiosyncrasies within your culture and society.

For our part, we now have an employability plan that responds to businesses' needs, but which reflects the individual needs of all people who access support. We also have a very strong apprenticeship system, one that is now—certainly compared to when I was at school—heavily promoted within schools and which truly gives people an opportunity to pursue the vocational route rather than the purely academic route. But in order to continue building a skills system that responds to the economy of today, we've developed regional skills partnerships across all of Wales to ensure that provision is based on what the economy requires, not just today, not just this month, this year, but three, five, 10 years down the line. And the work of the regional skills partnerships is, of course, informed by comprehensive labour-market intelligence and trends that, in turn, are drawn from various observatories. And I'm pleased that we commissioned Professor Phil Brown to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the role that digital and automation will play in changing the nature of work in the years to come. The work of that particular review will feed into all three of the regional skills partnerships, and, in turn, enhance our skills provision in Wales.