2. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:34 pm on 2 November 2021.

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Photo of Lesley Griffiths Lesley Griffiths Labour 2:34, 2 November 2021

Thank you. I am aware of quite a few sectors' concerns around skills shortages in specific areas, and I think it is really important that certainly our further education institutions ensure that they are able to put modules into different courses at different times, and very rapidly. So, for instance, I remember when I was a skills Minister that it was really important that we had electricians who were able to install solar panels. The world has completely moved on since then, so I know this is something that the Minister obviously takes a close interest in, and ensures that discussions around skills—. Just last week, as I mentioned in an earlier answer to Mike Hedges, we had Blas Cymru. So, I spoke to a lot of hospitality businesses, a lot of food and drink businesses, who, again, want skills in very specific areas. So, it is really important that the Minister works very closely with our further education and higher education institutions to ensure that we have those skills available for all our sectors in Wales.