John Griffiths, Deputy Minister for Skills, has announced that one of the main priorities of the Welsh Assembly Government’s new draft budget is to support young people affected by the downturn. Around £20.5m in funding has been allocated to schemes that help young people find jobs in Wales by providing them with the means to complete their education and training, reports Wales Online.

Projects to receive funding include the Skillbuild programme, designed for people with entry-level skills, and the Pathways to Apprenticeships scheme, which provides learners with vocational education in preparation for an employed apprenticeship when the economy turns a corner. Go Wales will also receive a cash boost to help more graduates into work.

John Griffiths said that while he understood businesses were reluctant to recruit staff in the current economic environment, he urged employers to keep an open mind about engaging and training young people during the downturn.
“Not only is the self-esteem of individuals and cohesion of communities at stake but so too is the future competitiveness of businesses themselves. “If training and recruitment goes into reverse, then the capability and capacity of Welsh industry to prepare itself for the upturn is bound to suffer. It will be faced with a weaker labour pool to draw upon when it needs to expand and grasp new market opportunities,” he said.

The deputy minister added that there is substantial financial support available for companies to help them recruit and train staff. “Among other things, there is assistance through a free and efficient vacancy-filling service, bespoke recruitment advice through Local Employment Partnerships, work trials, sector specific training, online job matching and a £1,000 cash subsidy for recruiting long-term unemployed people,” he explained. “By tapping into the support available and by giving them a chance to gain skills for the future, employers will be doing themselves a favour and laying the groundwork for a more competitive and successful future of their own,” he added.