Responding to GCSE results in Wales, Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson for Economy and Energy, Luke Fletcher MS said:
“To all those collecting their GCSE results today, can I offer my congratulations, and those of Plaid Cymru.
“We are all too aware of the ongoing difficulties students and teachers have faced as a result of the Covid pandemic and its aftermath, and you should be particularly proud of your achievements against this backdrop.
“Whether students now choose to progress to Sixth Form or to college, or are looking at options for training or full time employment, it’s clear that our young people deserve opportunities to prosper and to be able to follow their chosen path here in Wales.
“From the NHS, construction, agriculture, to our hospitality sector – apprenticeships in particular offer students the ability to combine training in a job with study, and are important to growing our workforce across Wales.
“But following the loss of EU funds and with the apprenticeship budget having previously been on the chopping block when it comes to the Labour Welsh Government’s priorities for its budget, support for apprenticeships in Wales remains in a precarious position.
“With so many of sectors in Wales struggling to recruit and retain staff, apprenticeships are key to growing our domestic workforce. But the reality is that we need to better understand what skills we already have in Wales and where we are falling short, so that we can invest in apprenticeship programmes that develop the workforce we need to grow and green our economy. Our young people should be given the best opportunity to find high-skilled, high paying jobs here in Wales.
“We need a skills audit and a clear apprenticeships strategy from the Labour Welsh Government, coupled with workforce planning to truly get to grips with the challenges facing vital industries across Wales.”
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