Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Education – in the Senedd at 2:00 pm on 12 February 2020.
Well, Jack, I've recently announced my continued support for the skills development fund. That is £10 million, allocated on a regional basis, to specifically respond to priorities that are identified by the regional skills partnership to ensure that there is an alignment between curriculum and the skills needed in the labour market in a particular area. The SDF is aimed at those learners needing to upskill to improve their employment prospects and, therefore, if digital skills are identified as a key regional priority, this funding can be utilised accordingly by training providers in that area.
You will also be aware, I'm sure, that we are piloting individual learning accounts at present. The ILAs are designed for people who are currently in work but on a relatively low income. That funding is available for them to use again to upskill themselves, and those provisions are also aligned to the regional skills needs as identified by the RSP. So, for instance, whilst not in your particular area, in the Gwent area, digital skills have been acknowledged as something we need to focus on, and the individual learning accounts are there to enable people to access those new digital qualifications to allow them to enhance their career opportunities and prospects.