Written - Skills That Work for Wales Consultation

On 17th January we will be launching Skills That Work for Wales, a consultation on a new strategy for skills and employment in Wales.

In July 2007 we announced plans to publish a skills and employment strategy bringing together a Welsh response to the Leitch Review of Skills in the UK and a preliminary response to the independent Review of the Mission and Purpose of Further Education in the context of The Learning Country: Vision into Action, chaired by Sir Adrian Webb. The Government’s full response to these recommendations and the outcomes of the skills and employment strategy consultation will be drawn together and published simultaneously as a single action plan in 2008.

Skills That Work for Wales is based on our One Wales vision of a strong economy with full employment based on high-quality, highly-skilled jobs. The draft strategy includes proposals to:

• give employers a stronger voice on skills policy and delivery;
• integrate skills development and business support;
• provide more help for young people and adults to acquire basic skills;
• establish an integrated skills and employment service;
• target our funding where it is needed most, especially priority sectors, low-skilled adults and at-risk groups; and

develop a more efficient and effective learning network.

A steering group drawing on representation from the Department for Children, Education and Lifelong Learning, the Department for Economy and Transport, the Department for Social Justice and Local Government, and the Department of Work and Pensions (employment policy is not a devolved matter) has guided the development of the strategy. There has also been informal consultation with key stakeholders through the Joint Skills Advisory Panel and the Future Skills Wales Steering Group. The draft policy has been through the Policy Gateway and has also been subject to an Equalities Impact Assessment.

I would like to thank all those who have contributed to the development of this strategy and I look forward to reviewing the consultation responses.

You will receive a copy of Skills That Work for Wales following its launch on 17 January. The document will also be available on our website.