Page 30 - Regional Employment & Skills Plan 2019

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Wales has the highest overall student satisfaction rates in the UK and furthermore has the highest percentage of ‘world-leading’ research in the UK in terms of impact according to a recent Research Excellence Framework exercise.29
The region’s institutions saw a total of 38,885 enrolments during academic year 17/18 (excluding the Open University who saw 6,915 enrolments across Wales). This is an increase of 4% on figures for the previous academic year.
Access to Higher Education in Further Education
Higher Education is also delivered within the further education environment and both the University of Wales Trinity Saint David group and the College University Skills Partnership (CUSP) have worked to develop new areas of provision. This approach supports learners to progress to higher education within their existing FE environment and also to provide a greater geographic availability of higher education provision. The region saw 260 individuals on HE programmes in FE institutions in academic year 17/18. The RLSP supports this delivery as it provides important progression pathways for learners within the region.
Degree Apprenticeships
The RLSP is fully supportive of the development of degree apprenticeships to date within the pilot areas of engineering, ICT and advanced manufacturing, however there are opportunities to significantly expand the application of degree apprenticeships to other sectors, as well as to expand the pilot provision to cover a wider range of roles and greater specialisation.
The additional sectors that have been identified as potential areas include professional services within construction such as architecture and project management, opportunities within the professional sector including legal and financial services roles where practical in work experience is valued.
There is also the potential to develop a shared degree apprenticeship model across regional employers where applicable following the successful shared apprenticeship models that have been developed to date.
2.10 Apprenticeships
There were a recorded 9,405 learning programme starts in work-based learning in South West Wales in academic year 2017/18, this is an increase of 22% compared with figures for academic year 2016/17. From a Mid Wales perspective there were a recorded 1,880 learning programme starts in academic year 2017/18, this is a 21% increase on figures for academic year 2016/17.30 Given the economic and social value apprenticeships hold more can be done to see a greater level of take up. Employer evidence highlights many issues which could be addressed by an increased level of workplace experience and learning which apprenticeships can provide. There are many benefits to both employer and learner and in turn the economy as a whole.
Benefits to Business
A typical apprenticeship completer is understood to raise productivity by £214 per week. At a sectoral level, apprenticeships are estimated to raise the productivity 31 of a typical completer by:
30 https://statswales.gov.wales/Catalogue/Education-and-Skills/Post-16-Education-and-Training/Further-Education-and-Work -Based-Learning/Learners/Work-Based-Learning/learningprogrammestarts-in-workbasedlearning
31 the above productivity gains are only achieved upon completion, and in most sectors, there is an initial negative net gain to employers, due to the level of training required before an apprentice’s productive capacity approaches that of a skilled worker.
Regional Employment & Skills Plan South West & Mid Wales
Policy Context