7. What plans does the Welsh Government have for expanding degree apprenticeships? OAQ53873

We are providing £20 million to pilot and test degree apprenticeships over the next two years. Following that, when we have that experience, consideration will be given to making the programme permanent.

Can I thank the First Minister for that answer? Clearly, apprenticeships have been linked to education qualifications for many, many years—ONCs, HNCs—and now the degree apprenticeships are a step forward and very much welcomed. But, I understand in Wales we have two frameworks that are currently operational and we have not yet expanded those two frameworks. I'm very pleased to hear you have a pilot for two years, but when are you going to expand those two frameworks? We haven't got frameworks in health and social care, an area where we know there's a shortage of skills and gaps we need to fill, and beyond that. So, can you give us an indication as to when we'll go beyond the two frameworks we currently have?

I thank the Member for that question. Of course he is right and knows from his own direct previous experience that bringing the workplace and study together has very long been part of the way that we provide futures for people in Wales. The degree apprenticeship programme is a new initiative, Llywydd; 210 apprentices became the first to study in the new programme in September of last year and another 210 or so will add to that programme in September of this year. That will test the two frameworks to which David Rees referred. We are looking actively, while that is happening, at other places where that could be expanded, and he's right to point to the field of social care as somewhere where we are always trying to raise the status of the profession through registration and through education and training. We will need to learn from the experience of these initial attempts. There's no point in starting something off in order to learn from it unless you're prepared to take the time that learning requires, but we are actively looking to find other ways in which we can build on what we feel confident will be the success of the programme.