Wales gets ‘ProActive’ in new pilot scheme

ProAct will provide quality training for employees put on short-time working, before redundancies are considered.

The Welsh Assembly Government is working closely with a range of organisations such as the Welsh Automotive Forum, SEMTA and the newly formed Wales Manufacturing Forum to develop the scheme.

Funding for ProAct will be provided on a selective basis and will cover the training as well as a wage subsidy for the employee whilst engaged in the training.

It is anticipated that ProAct will help prevent redundancies as well as improving the skills base of organisations by retraining employees in areas where there is demand and where companies anticipate there to be opportunities.

Jane Hutt said:

This is the first scheme of its kind in the UK and is one of several measures the Welsh Assembly Government is putting in place to help Wales deal with the global economic downturn.

The initial pilot will focus on the Automotive sector, which is facing particularly challenging times, for the first three months, and if the pilot is successful we will be seeking to widen inclusion in this scheme from April 2009.

As a government we acknowledge the downturn is being felt across all sectors and we are committed to supporting businesses and communities throughout Wales in what are unprecedented circumstances.

Deputy Minister for Skills John Griffiths added:

ProAct will help employers retain skilled staff and enhance their skills ready for the upturn.

It complements our ReAct programme which was set up to help people who have been made redundant to find a new job as soon as possible.  As well as helping to prevent redundancies, the ProAct programme will help improve the skills base in companies across Wales.

14 January 2009