NDM8451 Plaid Cymru Debate - Apprenticeships

NDM8451 Luke Fletcher (South Wales West)

To propose that this Senedd:

1. Notes:

a) that approximately 80 per cent of small firms in Wales struggled to recruit in the past 12 months due to skills shortages;

b) the skills gap across economic sectors in Wales outlined in recent Employer Skills Surveys; and

c) the Welsh Government’s target to create 125,000 all-age apprenticeships by the end of the current Senedd term. 

2. Regrets:

a) that over halfway through the current Senedd term, less than a third of the Welsh Government’s target has been achieved;

b) the estimated 24.5 per cent reduction in funding for the Welsh Government’s apprenticeship programme which will result in 10,000 fewer apprenticeship starts in 2024-25; and

c) that as a result of funding reductions, the Welsh Government is failing its economic mission to back young people to achieve ambitious futures in Wales.

3. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) establish a sustainable long-term funding model for apprenticeships;

b) rule out the introduction of tuition fees for degree apprenticeships in Wales; and

c) commission an independent evaluation of the feasibility of meeting its target for all-age apprenticeships by 2026.  

The following amendments were tabled:

Amendment 1 Lesley Griffiths (Wrexham)

Delete all and replace with:

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes:

a) that small businesses across Wales access a range of Welsh Government-funded employment, skills and business support to meet recruitment challenges in a volatile labour market and low growth UK environment;

b) the skills gap that exists in economic sectors in Wales outlined in recent Employer Skills Surveys; and welcomes the Welsh Government’s emphasis on targeted support in those areas, including funding for personal learning accounts;

c) the Welsh Government’s target to create 125,000 all-age apprenticeships by the end of the current Senedd term and the impact cuts to the Welsh budget, the loss of European replacement funds and record inflation has on the business and public budgets required to deliver against estimates set prior to the multiple economic shocks which have emerged since 2021; and

d) that cuts to Wales’s budget, the loss of promised EU replacement funds and soaring inflation has undermined the Welsh Government’s economic mission and the implications this has for young people and their ability to achieve ambitious futures in Wales.

2. Welcomes:

a) that halfway through the current Senedd term, the Welsh Government has committed in excess of £400m in apprenticeships; and

b) the commitment to protecting the quality of apprenticeship delivery at a time of falling budgets and recognises the long term risks associated with reducing quality considerations in order to increase the number of apprenticeships delivered.

3. Notes the Welsh Government will:

a) continue to prioritise funding for apprenticeships against a backdrop of severe financial pressure;

b) support degree apprenticeships in Wales; and

c) work with the apprenticeship network to secure the best possible delivery outcomes.

If amendment 1 is agreed, amendments 2 and 3 will be deselected.

Amendment 2 Darren Millar (Clwyd West)

In point 3, insert new sub-point after sub-point (a) and renumber accordingly:

expand apprenticeships, especially to degree level, to tackle skill shortages in core sectors including healthcare, renewable energy and digital technology;

Amendment 3 Darren Millar (Clwyd West)

In point 3, insert as new sub-point after sub-point (a), and renumber accordingly:

allow for flexible entry points for degree apprenticeships, recognising an individual’s prior educational attainment;