The Young Person's Guarantee

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Economy – in the Senedd at 2:23 pm on 1 December 2021.

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Photo of Vaughan Gething Vaughan Gething Labour 2:23, 1 December 2021

I think it's both the work we do with the guarantee, as well as what we're doing on, more broadly, looking to generate better value from local supply chains. When we talked about the foundation economy and getting better jobs closer to home, actually, this is part of it, to make sure that we're investing in local businesses. The business that I visited to launch the £35 million fund is a good example in exactly this area. They provide energy-efficiency services, they retrofit houses, including solid-stone properties, to improve not just the bills for that person but, actually, what it means to have a genuinely decent and warm home. They're a good example of where they're already investing in their current workforce and their future workforce to provide exactly the skills that you refer to.

I mentioned earlier in answers today regional skills partnerships. They're really important to make sure we don't do what you suggested might be possible in simply generating a range of people for jobs that don't exist. It's really important to match up the skills that businesses are telling us they will need for the future, the skills we recognise we need for the future, and to make sure that the way that the courses are provided from providers actually match the skills that are needed. It is about a proper partnership—skills partnerships, local authorities, businesses, trade unions and the Government—and it all fits in with our approach on regional investment and support for our economy. I'm confident and optimistic that the young person's guarantee will fit in with that. The way that we're structuring the new Jobs Growth Wales+ programme, and, indeed, the announcement I'll make in the new year on ReAct plus, I think, will give the Member the sort of comfort that she is looking for that we are genuinely looking at skills for the future.