Item 4 this afternoon is a statement by the Minister for Economy: stronger, fairer, greener Wales—a plan for employability and skills.

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. It's a pleasure to be back in the Chamber today.

In the programme for government, we set out the actions that we will pursue over this Senedd term to help ensure that nobody is left behind, nobody is held back and everyone has the opportunity to reach their potential. Today I am pleased to launch the plan for employability and skills, to set out what we will do. This signals our policy and our investment priorities, together with how we expect to sharpen our delivery focus and the activity of our partners. And we do this in building on the significant labour market and skills improvement in Wales since the publication of the last plan in 2018.

Economic inactivity reached a record low in 2018, and fell below the UK level for the first time in November 2018. By the end of 2019, we had reached our target of closing the unemployment gap with the UK, and levels continue to remain lower than the UK today. And the employment rate for the last quarter of 2021 was higher than at any point before the last plan was introduced in March 2018. And, of course, the proportion of 19 to 24-year-olds who are now in employment, education or training is close to the highest level on record. The proportion of people aged between 18 and 64 who have no qualifications has fallen by more than 1 per cent, and those with higher education qualifications has increased by 4 per cent.

We are setting out our new plan today in the context that the labour market impacts of COVID-19 have not been as severe as feared, with a strong rebound in hiring. This has led to the lowest ever ratio of unemployment to vacancies in the UK. However, looking forward, we face a number of risks and new challenges: high vacancy levels, labour shortages of key workers, an ageing population, and more people leaving the labour market prematurely for reasons of ill health—and particularly those over the age of 50.

Rising business overheads, the cost-of-living crisis and impacts on living standards are all challenges we will need to contend with. And, of course, the sad reality is that the invasion of Ukraine marks the onset of what could be the largest humanitarian crisis on our continent in decades. At the same time, unequal access and insufficient provision of fair work and a pay gap for gender, ethnicity and disability still prevail. There are still significant disparities between groups, such as black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, disabled people and single parents.

Now, in addressing the plan, I know that we can't fully replace from the Welsh Government budget the missing millions lost through the fact that the UK Government has not kept its funding promises to Wales following our departure from the European Union. As Members will be aware, Wales is due to lose about £1 billion over the next few years, and much of that money lost to Wales would have been invested in improving employability and skills. That means that together with ministerial colleagues, I've therefore had to make difficult choices to prioritise budgets, to continue to invest in our people and skills. We will of course continue to press UK Government to back our team Wales ambitions to invest in the talent of our people and restore to Wales the lost £1 billion. I do hope that parties across this Senedd will be able eventually to present a united front on this key issue for the future of the people that we all represent.

Supporting people to stay in work, enter or progress in employment, and increase their skills and employability is critical to increase the pool of available talent, and to support people to gain fair work and progress in the labour market. Access to fair work supports household incomes and livelihoods and the health and well-being of workers.

The new plan sets out five key areas of action over this Government term, which should propel us towards our longer term milestone. The first is delivering the young person's guarantee to protect a generation from the impacts of lost learning and delays to entering employment. I'm pleased to launch Jobs Growth Wales+ today as part of that. This will deliver the most successful element of the traineeships and Jobs Growth Wales programmes to offer the best possible support to young people.

The second is tackling economic inequality, shifting our focus to those furthest away from the labour market to find work, to improve labour market outcomes for disabled people, minority ethnic communities, women and those with lower skill levels. This includes building on the Better Jobs Closer to Home model, while supporting employment and continuing our partnership approach with local authorities.

The third is promoting fair work for all, to use our levers to improve the offer for workers. That includes introducing the social partnership and public procurement Bill and, of course, continuing to encourage employers to make work safer, better, fairer and more secure.

The fourth is providing more support for people with long-term health conditions to work. This includes better anchoring the health service, both as employer and the partner of the delivery network, to prevent people falling out of work or getting into employment because of a healthcare condition.

And finally is raising skill levels and the adaptability of our workforce by expanding access to flexible and personal learning for people both in and out of work to improve their skills, find work or retrain. Just last week, the Welsh Government extended the childcare offer so that parents can be supported to undertake education and training.

We remain committed to driving forward our priorities in the 2018 plan to tackle economic inactivity, to increase employment levels of disabled people, and to try to futureproof the supply of people and skills. This plan responds to and draws on the involvement of key stakeholders in the development of the regional investment framework for Wales, the race equality action plan and the 'Locked Out: Liberating disabled people's lives and rights in Wales beyond Covid-19' report.

Going forward, we always need to work smarter and together to make the best use of our people and resources. This plan will help our partners to align their activities to our priorities, and help to ensure that UK Government funding is used in a way that supports rather than cuts across Welsh Government priorities. Elements of this plan are covered by the co-operation agreement, and where applicable these policies are being developed with Plaid Cymru. I look forward to working with ministerial colleagues and Plaid Cymru's designated Members to develop and oversee an area of genuine cross-Government policy implementation over this programme for government.

Our people are our greatest asset, and Wales will not prosper if the ability to train, learn, train and progress at work is not made more equal. Making this a reality requires a shared sense of mission from all partners, so that we can maximise our resources to deliver a stronger, fairer and greener Wales, with an economy that works for everyone. Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd.

Conservative spokesperson, Paul Davies.

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Can I thank the Minister for his statement this afternoon? Today's statement makes it clear that the Welsh Government's plan for employability and skills will be rooted in the principle of fairness and with the intention of tackling climate change and creating a much greener economy, and so I welcome today's plan and its five key areas. This is exactly the right time to be laying the foundations for change in relation to the delivery of skills so that we can yield those returns in the future. Firstly, we need to ensure that our children and young people have access to opportunities, and I'm pleased that one of the five priority areas in today's statement refers to the young person's guarantee, which has the power to be the vehicle to offer young people opportunities in sectors and industries that they might not have thought of before. It's absolutely crucial that these opportunities are relevant to the skills that we need here in Wales, and that young people are gaining valuable skills and experience in fields that are meaningful. Therefore, perhaps the Minister can tell us how the young person's guarantee is being tracked to monitor its effectiveness, and how it's ensuring that young people are going to be equipped with the right skills for the future. 

Of course, any plans for employability and skills should link with the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research, which will be responsible for overseeing the post-16 sector in Wales, and will be working to align education and training more closely with the needs of employers. Therefore, can the Minister tell us how this plan will link with the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research, and what discussions he's having with the education Minister on this and on the wider issue of aligning education and training to the needs of employers as well?

Now, one of the key areas of the plan is in relation to promoting fair work by encouraging employers to make work safer, better, fairer and more secure. Perhaps the Minister could tell us how much funding is being allocated to meet this specific aim, and how that funding will in fact be distributed. 

Now, central to the Welsh Government's employability and skills plan are regional skills partnerships. And we all know how important they are in terms of advising Welsh Government on current and future regional skills demand, as well as identifying shortages and advising on how to address those shortages. Members will know that the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee looked at regional skills partnerships in the last Senedd, and so I hope the Minister will provide us with an update on the Welsh Government's progress in relation to the recommendations in that report, and perhaps he could also tell us a bit more about the current work of the regional skills partnerships. 

The Minister will know that it's National Careers Week, and it's disappointing that there's no mention of the Welsh Government's careers policy. And perhaps the Minister could tell us how this plan will work alongside other policies and strategies, like its careers policy, enterprise zones, city and growth deals and the Jobs Growth Wales+ programme, which was also launched today. 

Now, one of the five areas of the plan is raising skill levels and adaptability of the workforce, and I'm pleased to read that the Welsh Government is expanding flexible and personal learning opportunities. There is sometimes a fear that we focus on skills delivery in terms of school leavers, and we must see skills development as a continuous programme through a person's working life. And so I'd be grateful if the Minister could tell us what the Welsh Government is doing to encourage employers to develop a continuous approach to upskilling and learning. 

Now, today's statement refers to action being taken to better anchor the health service, both as an employer and part of the delivery network to prevent people falling out of work, or getting into employment because of a health condition. And it's crucial that more support is available to those with long-term health conditions. And so perhaps the Minister can tell us a little bit more about the Welsh Government's initial steps in this specific area. 

The statement also prioritises tackling economic inequality, and I'm pleased that the Welsh Government is committing to improving labour market outcomes for disabled people, minority ethnic people, women and those with low skills. One of the milestones to measure the plan's success is the elimination of the pay gap for gender, disability and ethnicity by 2050. Perhaps the Minister could tell us how confident he is that this plan will help tackle inequalities in the labour market. 

Dirprwy Lywydd, the Welsh Government made it very clear that moving to a low-carbon, net-zero economy is a priority, and, as I've said before, I believe that a net-zero skills audit needs to take place so that we can identify the gaps in skills, knowledge and resources that our economy will need. And so perhaps the Minister can tell us more about how the Welsh Government is collating that information, and if it is doing so as part of this plan. 

Dirprwy Lywydd, the Minister is right, our people are our greatest asset, and that's why now is the time to invest in our skills landscape, and I look forward to working with the Minister constructively to ensure that everyone has access to vital learning and training opportunities across Wales. Thank you. 

Thank you for the series of questions. I will try to deal with as many of them as I can without testing the patience of the Deputy Presiding Officer. 

On to your starting points, when it comes to the part that the young person's guarantee will play, it's clearly a key component of what we're trying to do with the employability and skills plans. And in not just today's plan, but in my previous statements on the young person's guarantee, I've indicated that Working Wales are running the guarantee and the job-matching service, and the range of things going through there. And we are going to have data, as I indicated in the previous statement, that will help to demonstrate the numbers of people that are coming through, but the sorts of outcomes that we think we're going to be able to deliver as well.

And I'm pleased you mentioned Jobs Growth Wales+. It's a new programme, combining what we've learned from traineeships and the Jobs Growth Wales programme, to help people into work or to get them the skills they need to get into work in the first place. And we've learned about the support that different people will need at various points to make sure they're ready to go on and acquire those skills or enter the world of work. So, the personal support element will be important for us.

Now, I fully expect that, in this Chamber, and in the committee you chair, with a slightly different hat on, you may well take an interest, and I'd expect that to be the case going through the first year, but as we get through the rest of this term, to be able to understand the sorts of outcomes we're achieving and whether actually we're learning more as we go along to help improve the offer of the programme. Because on this, I think, there isn't much difference between the parties in the Chamber as to what we ultimately want to see, which is more people in work and in good work, with an improved ability for that person to acquire and then continue to gain skills through their working life.

And that brings me on to your point about the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research. I'm happy to be able to confirm to you that I have met the education Minister in advance of the plan being published, in advance of the Cabinet discussion that agreed this, and we do see significant work to do between us and the work of the new commission. Because part of what we're going to need to do to help to improve people's skills, lots of that will be undertaken within the further education sphere. So, we're going to need to understand what we're going to do alongside them and how that's going to enable them to deliver for us. Of course, further education will be one of the key partners in delivering the Jobs Growth Wales+ programme.

And on your point about regional skills partnerships, which you mentioned on several occasions, I've met all of the regional skills partnerships, and I've met all of the regional groups led by local authorities in the new joint committees that are working alongside the city deals. And one of the things that I think has been really positive is that, in amongst all of the different political leaderships of local authorities, they all see the regional partnerships they have as key to their regional future, and they recognise it adds to what they're doing rather than takes away from it. And they all recognise the importance of those regional skills partnerships, understand the opportunities that exist for businesses within their areas, and then to try to understand how we're going to match the skills needs for those businesses. So, they're a key part of how we're going to run the system successfully—that's both earlier skills, but, crucially, developing skills for people in the workplace as well.

And I think that really does go to your point about employers investing in their future and current workforce. Of course, the workforce of the future is in very large part already with us. It's the workers who are already in the workplace today who are going to be here with us in five years' and 10 years' time. So, there is going to be a need to carry on investing in them. And that is one of the things we're trying to do in setting out our plan today: to help provide stability for employers to make their own choices, but also for them to be clear about how they can get involved in helping to influence our own agenda on skills provision.

And I think the Member also made a point around not just this plan but alongside other interventions. So, to give you an example, the Minister for Climate Change is especially interested in this plan, not just because she cares about the ambitions of the whole Government or her constituency, but, as an example, the housing retrofit programme, that should make a difference in spending money to improve the efficiency of people's homes, to make their homes warmer and less expensive to fit. There's also plenty of work to do in that programme as well, and we want to try to make sure we have the right skills for people to undertake that programme for the future housing needs that we know will exist as well. So, there are jobs and there is skills provision needed.

And recently, I visited not a retrofit programme, but a new-build programme in partnership between Cardiff Council and Wates, as a partner in the Cardiff Living programme. And they are delivering apprenticeships on that site—people are being trained today in how homes are being constructed, and those people will find that that is very much the world they're going to carry on working in for the future. So, we're already seeing a jobs and a training dividend whilst improving new housing stock, as well as the need to improve the housing stock we already have. And you should find those examples through the way that this plan works alongside other Government interventions. This isn't simply going to be a success if my department is the only one working towards it.

And on the challenge around economic inequality, it's one of the key things we know we need to address. With our current programme, the Communities for Work programme, 40 per cent of the people who were helped and supported in that programme have a disability or a limiting healthcare condition that is a barrier to them accessing work. We know that lots of people have support from our Parents, Childcare and Employment programme, helping parents into education where childcare is a barrier, and I met some of those people today, when we launched the programme. So, we're deliberately setting out how we're going to look to reduce economic inequality in the delivery of this plan, and that, of course, includes the gender pay gap.

Now, I look forward to updating the Member on some of the other points he's made, including the work we are undertaking on improving net-zero skills and the work that I'm doing with climate change Ministers on that. But I can see the Deputy Presiding Officer politely giving me the look that says that I should stop and allow the next question to get asked. 

Always happy for you to be succinct in your answers, Minister. 

Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Luke Fletcher. 

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd, and thank you to the Minister for his statement. There's much to welcome here, but I'd like to focus on a couple of points. Access to high-quality employment is strongly linked to mental health: 43 per cent of unemployed people report poor mental health, compared to 27 per cent who are in employment. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has noted that job loss, of which there have been many in Wales over the pandemic period, is a traumatic experience in someone's life and has an immediate negative impact on their mental health. Further still, there is significant further damage when unemployment continues long term.

Low-paid workers were the most likely to be furloughed or lose their jobs, and groups already at the most risk of problem debt prior to the pandemic are now at even greater risk. Addressing these financial inequalities this side of the pandemic should be at the forefront of our political agenda. However, access to employment alone is not enough. We must guarantee that this employment is fair and just. Half of people in poverty now live in working families. People are being trapped in poverty by low wages, zero-hour contracts and job insecurity. Promoting fair work is great, but I would like the Minister to drill down a bit and outline how fair work will be guaranteed, including job security, opportunity for education and training and staff consultation and representation. How exactly will these be guaranteed? 

On the green economy, Russian oil and gas imports have not currently been fully included in the UK economic sanctions against Russia, because of the concern of the impact of this on the UK economy, especially while we are already experiencing a cost-of-living crisis that is being heavily fuelled by rising energy costs. Some reports suggest that this is set to change today, but the impact of our reliance on Russian fossil fuels is huge. Shell has calculated that current exports and flow prices to western democracies are helping to finance a Russian T-90 tank every 20 minutes. This is something that my colleague Liz Saville-Roberts MP has been raising in her Westminster capacity, and a topic that Adam Price has already spoken on, and, to reiterate his words, 

'not a single drop of Russian oil should be offloaded into Wales...while innocent blood is being shed in Ukraine'.

But the discussions have rightly raised questions around our reliance on fossil fuels. We must ramp up our renewable low-carbon economy, which, hopefully, this plan will play a part in doing. To do this, we have to immediately and continuously invest in the technologies of the future here in Wales, and create green jobs through a just transition. A skills gap in Wales is one of the obstacles that is preventing us from moving at this accelerated rate away from fossil fuels, an issue that has been highlighted by the Construction Industry Training Board, an issue I know the Minister is aware of. Specifically, how will we fill these skill gaps? How will this gap be filled urgently so that we can significantly increase our renewable, low-carbon economy?

And, finally, on gender equality, today marks International Women's Day, and economic barriers continue to face women. Our economic system, structures and policies are continuing to recreate and reproduce gender inequality. The latest data from Chwarae Teg has highlighted that the gender pay gap in Wales has actually worsened in 2021. The gender pay gap increased from 11.8 per cent to 12.3 per cent. Women's median hourly pay increased 34p between 2020 and 2021, below the average of 42p, whereas men's increased by 49p. And this is a point I've highlighted before in this Chamber, but needs reiterating: as of 2021, men earn more than women in every local authority in Wales. These figures should highlight to us that progress towards eradicating income inequality is neither consistent, guaranteed nor rapid, and we must, therefore, ensure we are considering the views and needs of women in plans like these. I am concerned that, as we move towards a green economy, these figures may continue to worsen, as it's known that the biggest gender gaps occur in agriculture, manufacturing, construction and transportation—areas that will be key areas to a green transition, where new jobs and skills will be focused. So, we must ensure that women are not left out of the green transition.

So, finally, I ask the Minister: how does this plan tangibly address these issues? How are we encouraging women in Wales into STEM subjects? How are we guaranteeing fair and green employment for women? And how are we ensuring they're not left out of the green transition? And of course, if this plan does not address those issues, will the Minister consider expanding the plan to include additions that address economic inequalities in employment and training, on International Women's Day?

Thank you for the questions and the comments. I recognise that work, and in particular good work, is often a protective factor for people's mental health. It isn't a guarantee, but I also know that poor work can have a really detrimental impact on people's mental health. I know from my former time as an employment lawyer, when I've seen people who worked in a poor workplace having difficult experiences at work affecting not just their work, but their whole life around them as well, and the people they love and care for. And that's particularly the case when people are in poorly paid work as well. So, fair work is one of our five key aspects in the plan.

There are some things we can do ourselves rather more directly. So, the NHS, for example, is a living wage employer, a real living wage employer. We're doing more on the social care system in terms of making sure that people have decent and better wages. We're looking to try to make sure we build on the social partnership we have created through the last few years, which has been accelerated and deepened during the pandemic, to try to make sure that we really do deliver Wales as a fair work nation.

Our staff are paid in a certain way; we know that in the private sector we can't influence every single employer. Where we do need to be clear, though, is in the examples of what we're prepared to reward and stand by and say, 'This is what good looks like.' I've seen more of that in the way the economic contract works and is being deepened. So, I expect to have more on that in what we're doing with people in the private sector where most pay, of course, choices are made. And at the same time I think we'll be able to do more in the field of procurement, and that's a matter that the finance Minister leads on and Ministers right across the Government have a real interest in. So, I think you're going to find, not just in this plan, but more generally in what the Government does, that we're genuinely committed to that, as well as individual interventions like Healthy Working Wales and Time to Change Wales, which my department jointly funds, together with the Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Well-being as the lead Minister.

When it comes to the comments you made about Putin's war and the invasion of Ukraine, I fully recognise that there are challenges in rising prices that will be exacerbated by the war. The cost-of-living crisis was with us already before the invasion of Ukraine. It will be made worse because there will be reduced supply of oil and gas from Russia. One of the things we have to accept is that if we think it's wrong for there to be Russian oil and gas helping to fund that war, then that means there'll be challenges in energy supply within this country as well. It reinforces the point about energy security and our ability to generate more of our own energy and be less reliant on the supply of oil and gas from other parts of the world. It's one of the things that, even before the dreadful crisis in Ukraine, Ministers were already clear about and keen to make the most of our assets.

Within that, there are of course challenges in terms of investing in skills and in the infrastructure we need. We know that we already have a position where, I think, over half of our power needs are regularly provided by renewable sources. The challenge then is how much more can we do, how much more reliable will that need to be, how we'll get the investment from the private sector as well as the public sector that will be required to further exploit offshore wind, marine and tidal power as well, and then the skills that go alongside that. That is a bit of a circular conversation because we need to understand what is going to happen with investment in the whole supply chain for those industries that are going be created when new rounds are auctioned off by the Crown Estate for offshore wind. How do we then make sure we understand what those companies are going to do and when we can actually invest alongside them to make sure we have the skills supply for people?

An example of where that can go wrong, of course, is Wylfa Newydd, the former Hitachi project. We did invest in lots of skills, and actually what we were doing there would have made sense if the project had gone forward. When it didn't, we'd essentially taken a community of people together with us on a journey that wasn't then completed. It does, though, show I think that where we have some certainty on those very large investment choices, we can make sure that  the levers we have are available to help people into what should be good jobs for the future. We're already doing some of that work as we know we're going to need to do even more to accelerate the transition to a zero-carbon economy, and in particular how we get the most gain from renewable sources of power.

I'll finish with your points about women and the pay gap. I've been very lucky in my working life to work with a number of women, to be led and managed by women in the workplace, and I'm very proud of my own wife who is a women of real achievement in her business. She's a much better leader and manager than I ever was in the workplace. But, actually, we know that we still have significant gender inequalities, not just in money, but in the way that leadership positions are undertaken and the culture of workforces and workplaces in the private and the public sector. It's why the Government continues to invest in promoting opportunities for women and girls to seek careers in areas where they have not been in the past, whether that's construction, whether that's STEM or, indeed, in tech and in fintech. And I have to say, when I was recently away and looking at some of the promotion we're doing in the United Arab Emirates around the World Expo in Dubai, I was really proud to see Welsh women in fintech as leading figures, running those companies and making a pitch about how they are doing something not just for themselves, but for a whole sector where their skills could and should be recognised. I think we're going to see more of that in the future, so that everyone can see there is someone you can see and someone you can be, and there's a Government that is on your side to make sure you get what you're worth, which is exactly the same as the person next to you, whether a man or a woman.

Following the International Women's Day theme, I want to try and explore how we're going to close the gender gap in relation to not having women in one section of the workforce and men in the other, because we need—. A bit more mixing up will benefit the whole community.

So, we know from the Well-being of Future Generations Commissioner for Wales's report, 'Homes Fit for the Future: The Retrofit Challenge', that we need over 4,000 people to be skilled in insulating people's homes—existing homes—and we also need nearly 3,000 retrofit energy assessors. How does the Government think that we can get a much better balanced workforce in these really important skills, rather than them all being male? Equally, the social care sector would benefit from having a much wider diversity of the workforce, both in terms of more men working in it, and also a range of different ethnic minorities to reflect the communities they're serving. So, I'd be very keen to understand how the proper shortage in social care and in childcare could be filled by training up many more people to work in this absolutely crucial area, which is never going to be outsourced to artificial algorithms—these are proper jobs of the future—as well as the most urgent jobs around retrofitting, which, obviously, with the price of energy going up, we need to get on with as quickly as we possibly can.

I thank the Member for the questions. I'm not sure how far linked and how closely linked they are to the plan, but I'm happy to address the points that I think are being made. Because, again, in my past, when I've run equal pay claims, you very quickly get to see what looks unusual, and you then have to try and prove them. So, for example, in areas where there are gender-segregated jobs and different negotiation structures, you often find, even in the same employer, there are different outcomes in terms of pay structures. And that has created a huge problem for employers in the public and some parts of the private sector. The difficulty is that actually running a legal claim is a blunt tool to try and achieve it, and you often find people invest lots of money in defending claims, rather than looking at what they can do to address their pay systems to make sure they properly reward people for the work that they're doing. That's where people who really are doing the work should be valued and paid the same, rather than challenges where you tend to find people concentrating in different professions entirely.

I take on board your point around some of the work on energy assessing. Well, some of this is about promoting opportunities and being clear that this isn't just man's work or woman's work. To be really clear, there are jobs for people with skills and talent, and to be clear that that talent exists in all parts of the country. And that's what we're trying to do in giving people the skills and the opportunities to re-enter the workforce. I met a single dad and a single mum who'd been helped by the programmes that we had provided, and they were now in work because of the help and support we had provided. But it is about making clear that we tried to remove some of those barriers in the way that people see themselves, as well as the way they're seen by other people. And that's a bigger challenge, because, actually, lots of gender bias that we talk about starts off from before people are born and then after they're born.

I don't know how many of you still wander up and down aisles with children's clothing and books, but you still see an awful lot of pink for those things that are for women—and I'm wearing a pink shirt by coincidence today. But, when you look at the messages on people's clothing, and I recently saw messages around this, the messages that girls are given about who they should be and what they should do are very different from the messages that boys are given at a very young age. And, actually, part of our challenge is how we get through some of that, because without knowing it, we end up growing up with those assumptions about ourselves and about other people. What we are doing with this plan is part of what we should do as a Government in making clear that the opportunities are there for everyone, and we recognise that people are not in the same position and we deliberately want to do something about righting that and making sure that people who do have different responsibilities and different outcomes have a better chance because of the action that this Government will take.

Thank you, Minister, for your statement today and responses so far in the Chamber here. As a keen follower of Plenary, I'm sure that you noted that, last week, I asked a question to the climate change Minister around the opportunities in particular in north Wales around renewable energy and the supply chain there, and making the most of the resources that we have in north Wales to ensure that the green economy is thriving in that part of the country. I outlined the opportunities that it has to offer, and, of course, that's not just for north Wales but for Wales as a whole, and whether that's in wind energy, solar energy or some marine energy as well, and I thank you for acknowledging that today in some of your responses. There's been cross-party acknowledgement of the opportunities there today as well.

I did note in one of your responses—I think it was probably to Paul Davies a moment ago—that you touched on some of the potential risks because this type of statement and thinking touches all parts of Government, and perhaps there's a risk of some departments of Government not fully engaging in this, and what we see sometimes in Government around silo working. So, I was wondering whether you'd be able to outline how you're working across Government to ensure that your plans and thinking around employability and skills, and particularly around the economy and greener Wales, are completely and properly utilised and that we don't see that silo working that can be associated with Government from time to time. Thanks.

Thank you for the question. Yes, I am particularly interested, as indeed are our climate change Ministers, in supply chain opportunities for renewables in all their forms; there's much to offer in both north and south Wales on those opportunities for us. And it will require us to have a conversation with businesses as well as the UK Government, as well as the partners that we have in devolved areas of responsibility too.

When it comes to cross-Government working, in the questions earlier, I know that I was asked about work with the education Minister but also with the housing Minister and others, because we do know that for the employability and skills plan to work, we need to match up our own interventions to point in the same direction. Part of the reason we've undertaken this review and a new plan is that there's been a shift in the way that some of our partners are working. That's partly the pandemic, it's also partly that the UK Government have pivoted and shifted some of their employability support as well. I think I mentioned it before that the Department for Work and Pensions are more active in some of this space than they have been in the past. They tend, though, to be active closer to the labour market, which is why we're concentrating our efforts further away from the labour market, so that we don't contradict or potentially duplicate the support that should be in place from the DWP.

This isn't particularly interesting in the sense of people who are watching getting lots from it, but the wiring within the Government really does work: how we make sure that officials talk with each other, how much of our briefings are shared at the right point in time and how we make sure that Ministers do properly discuss this when we need to, to make sure that we're keeping on track. So, the obvious points about the work with the education Minister, but also the opportunities not just in the area of housing but others are something that I'm keen that we do see carried forward. I hope that the Member is reassured by the fact that, when it came to the discussion in Cabinet, there was not just a general welcome for it, but a recognition by lots of Ministers that they had a part to play in making the plan successful.

I welcome the statement today, Minister. It's not just these benches who welcome the statement, I think most Members of the Chamber do. I know that the opposition spokesperson looks like he's wearing a tie from our party today, but even he welcomes the majority of it, as do our colleagues in the Trades Union Congress, of course. But I think it's worth noting, as well, what we've delivered as a Welsh Labour Government. In the last Senedd term, 112,000 plus apprenticeships were delivered in Wales, and that's something I'm really proud of as a former apprentice. And this statement again shows our ambitious plan for training in Wales.

You'll be aware, Minister, that I have an ambition to bring the design and manufacture of renewable technologies to Alyn and Deeside. We have the skill set, we have the people. I've worked alongside them, I've trained alongside them. So, I just wonder if you would be willing to meet with me to discuss how Alyn and Deeside fits in to the plan for a stronger, fairer, greener Wales, and how the Welsh Government can support projects and unlocking potential projects within Alyn and Deeside—perhaps, for example, the Tata Steel manufacturing offsite hub in Shotton, a great project for the future of Alyn and Deeside. I'd be grateful if you would accept that invitation.

I'm very pleased that Jack Sargeant has highlighted our track record on delivering and, in fact, overachieving our pledge in the last Senedd term. We pledged 100,000 apprentices; we got to over 112,000. Of course, we had the ability to draw on European funding at the time, so 125,000—a 25 per cent increase on our previous target—is going to be more difficult to achieve, but I'm confident that we'll do so. Actually, this plan shows that we're directing our resources to do just that. It means there are difficult choices we've had to make elsewhere, but that does reinforce the priority that we place on the future of apprentices and the skills that they will bring, the economic benefit that they will bring as well. As to his kind invitation, I have of course already visited the Member's constituency. I've been to Shotton works with him, but I'll be more than happy to have a further meeting with him. Because there is lots for us to talk about in opportunities for north-east Wales, including, of course, Alyn and Deeside, the investment we're putting in to some of our manufacturers there, the advanced manufacturing centre that we're funding and supporting as well. So, I'd be more than happy to discuss how we could have a useful conversation with a range of stakeholders around his constituency about the future.

Finally, Carolyn Thomas.

Diolch. Minister, I welcome the statement and message regarding growing a stronger, fairer, greener Wales by investing in people and developing skills and confidence. I think confidence is really important. I attended a very interesting presentation at the women's cross-party group, chaired by Siân Gwenllian, on a care-led recovery, which would generate more employment than investment in construction, whilst not exacerbating the gender pay gap. It would improve well-being by contributing to a better cared-for population, preventing greater needs in the future, help create a greener, more resilient and caring economy. Investing in care expands the supply of labour across the regions, not just where there is land supply, and recoups more revenue through increasing the numbers in employment who then spend in their local economy, and maintains vibrant communities. Pathways have already been created into nursing careers for healthcare workers in north Wales, though Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, working with Bangor University and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, which is really welcome. Minister, is a care-led recovery an idea you would take forward with the health Minister under this plan for employability and skills? Thank you.

Thank you. I do know a thing or two about the health service and investing in choices around our future workforce. Actually, it's one of the things we have consistently done. We've always, in my time as the Minister, but also Eluned Morgan as the new Minister, invested the maximum amount possible in terms of our future health workforce that our system can actually successfully train. What we've also done is we've made not only the choice that we can certainly make to keep things like the bursary, to make sure people don't drop out, but also to try to make sure that there are some conditionalities, so that people who receive that extra support that isn't available across the border are then committed to working within our system as well. We do know we're going to need more people in our health and care sector in the future. That's partly because we have the success story of having an ageing population, it's partly because we know we're going to lose some of our staff following the pandemic—people who will want to leave their careers early or not work full time for as long as they otherwise would have done. And we're also, I'm afraid, confident we're going to have greater health and care need coming into our system as well.

The reason we're investing in the incomes of people in our social care sector, and in particular in the residential and domiciliary care sector, is that we actually want to see people paid properly for the work that they do. The real living wage is the first step to doing that. You're absolutely right to point out that investing in those workers will lead to that money going into local families and local communities. These are not people who are going to hide their wealth in the Seychelles or some other jurisdiction; they're going to spend it locally on their families. So, yes, you can expect to see us continuing to invest. In line with the plan, it's not just the point that healthcare conditions should not be a barrier to work, but that the health and social care system itself as a major employer has a major role to play in delivering the ambitions of this plan and creating a fairer, stronger, greener Wales.

Diolch i'r Gweinidog. You are always welcome to come to Aberavon to discuss your plans as well.