Economic Priorities for North Wales

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Economy – in the Senedd at 2:15 pm on 29 September 2021.

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Photo of Sam Rowlands Sam Rowlands Conservative 2:15, 29 September 2021

Thank you very much, Minister, for your brief response. As you will know, significant parts of the north Wales economy are, of course, within the construction sector, and I recently had the privilege of meeting with the Construction Industry Training Board, the CITB, who outlined to me some of the challenges they’re experiencing in terms of a skills shortage within the sector. Indeed, in addition to the current skills shortage, by 2025 across Wales the industry will have a further 9,000 jobs that will need filling, and by 2028 a further 12,000 jobs will need to be filled to support some of the work around climate change and the retrofitting work that will need to take place.

Of course, there’s a big opportunity here and we have the potential for tens of thousands of new jobs within a really highly skilled sector, which could support our economy. So, what action will you take to ensure that this part of the economy will fulfil its potential in north Wales and ensure that the future job demand will be met?