Page 26 - Regional Employment & Skills Plan 2019

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Work Experience
The loss of work experience in Wales over recent years has had a perceived detrimental impact on learners and their work-readiness. In 2012, 90% of 14-18 year olds in most schools across Wales did a work placement, however an Estyn report published in 2017 highlighted that no pupils did any work experience or placements in 29% of schools.
In addition, the decline of the ‘Saturday Job’ exacerbates the challenges posed by the loss of work experience. In 1997 42% of 16-17 year old students were also working. This figure drastically declined to only 18% in 2014. If the trend has persisted then this figure is even smaller by now. This is a significant issue because it means that fewer and fewer young people are getting any experience of the world of work prior to entering the labour force. This places additional pressures on the employer to provide them with those skills that they would have started to develop during their part time job or work experience.
In addition, evidence suggests that;
• Those who combine work with full time education are 4-6% points less likely to be NEET five years later than those just in education.
• They are also more likely to earn more than those just in full time education, with a premium of 12-15%.25
This evidence suggests that the RLSP are correct to be passionate about strengthening links between education and industry. This is evident from the number of recommendations made in previous years (and this year) specifically around careers advice and guidance.
The RLSP regularly engages with learners to promote the opportunities available to them within the region. A number of resources have been developed to support this, including;
• The Spotlight on South West and Mid Wales (video and poster),
• Sector Infographics,
• Apprenticeships ‘at a glance’.
These resources are communicated via direct linkages with the schools, through 14-19 co-ordinators and via attendance at the numerous careers fairs that occur across the region.
2.6 Employability
The RLSP is working alongside the Regional Engagement Team (RET) to support the implementation of Working Wales and Job Support Wales via the Regional Employability Group. This group provides a forum for existing regional employability projects to engage with the development of both programmes and to identify barriers faced by clients and communicate the skills needs of employers.
The following employability skills have been identified through utilising the employer evidence including through the RLSP survey and cluster groups as well as engagement with the Regional Employability Group.
Soft Skills
Secondary evidence is showing that interpersonal and analytical skills are growing in demand from employers. Primary research gathered by the RLSP supports this notion where a growing proportion of employers are putting more of an emphasis on the need for what are termed as ‘soft skills’.
25 UKCES – The Death of the Saturday Job (2014)
Regional Employment & Skills Plan South West & Mid Wales
Policy Context