3. What measures will the Welsh Government introduce to improve skills training in Wales over the next twelve months? OAQ54565

I thank the Member for that question, Llywydd. Over the next 12 months, our skills training will see the introduction of Job Support Wales, simplifying and consolidating the current suite of employability programmes. That will take place in the context of the impact that Brexit has produced on the skill needs of Welsh employers.

Thank you very much, First Minister, for the answer. The UK Conservative Government has announced it is to invest £120 million to establish eight new institutes of technology in England. This is in addition to the 12 institutes already in operation there. These institutes are a partnership between further education colleges, universities and employers, offering higher education technical qualifications for students in areas such as digital, construction, manufacturing and engineering. First Minister, given that the Confederation of British Industry in Wales has called for a greater focus on vocational qualifications, what consideration have you given to opening institutes of technology to improve the skill set base for workers in Wales, please?

Llywydd, it's good to see the system in England catching up with what we've been doing here in Wales. We don't need to invent new centres in Wales, because we already have centres doing what the new technology centres purport to do across our border. That's why we have been increasing higher level apprenticeships in our further education colleges. It's why we have degree apprenticeships, level 6 apprenticeships, for the first time starting work in September of this year with £20 million-worth of new investment. We are serious here in Wales about vocational qualifications, and the importance that they play in the Welsh economy. As I say, they're catching up across our border, and it's good to see them doing it.  

There's been a great deal of focus on teachers' skills in the statutory sector in terms of teaching through the medium of Welsh, but there hasn't been as much focus on the skills of those in FE in terms of how they can teach through the medium of Welsh. During a recent meeting of the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee, the Welsh Language Commissioner joined us and told us that there was a lack of data about what level of skill exists within the sector in terms of the tutors, and that there is a shortage of tutors who have the capacity to teach through the medium of Welsh. So, what is your Government doing to try and change that, and what plans are in place to ensure that those teaching in FE have those necessary skills? 

Thank you very much for that question. Of course, I agree on the work we are doing to invest in people’s skills in the classroom, that’s vital to help people with the confidence to use the language and to create an atmosphere where they can use the skills that they have already to help young people. That’s why we're investing the greatest amount of money in our history in the people in the workforce in schools, and we want to do more in FE as well to use the lessons that we've seen in the classrooms in our schools, and to do more with the FE colleges as well.

We must rightly acknowledge the recent extensive work put in by the Welsh Government in putting in place the infrastructure that will produce a better skilled workforce for the future. Can I ask, however, what progress has been made by local authorities in developing skill pathways by integrating vocational training into the wider education system?

Well, Llywydd, we work with our local authority colleagues, of course, to make sure that the contribution they can make through their representation at further education, and in the schools that they themselves run, to make sure that the skills agenda is understood and implemented there.

It's one of the key things that Government does, Llywydd, to invest in people and to provide them with the skills that they need for the future. We expect all local authorities to work with local employers as well as listening to the voice of the learners themselves. When my colleague Ken Skates commissioned an independent review of regional skills partnerships, one of the things that that report said was that as well as listening to the voice of professionals, we need to learn from the learners as well. Because they will often tell us important things about the quality of the experience in the classroom, the quality of the experience they get when out on the job, and by learning from their experience, we can improve the experience for others who come after them.