Page 31 - Regional Employment & Skills Plan 2019

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• £83 per week in the retail sector,
• £114 in the healthcare, public services and care sector,
• £268 in the business, administration & legal sector,
• £401 in the construction and planning sector; and,
• £414 in the engineering and manufacturing sector.
Further benefits include improvements in product or service quality, productivity and staff morale.
Benefits to the Economy
An evaluation report of Work-based Learning in Wales, 2007-2011 (Welsh Government, 2014) illustrates the economic and social value of apprenticeships in Wales. In terms of the economic value of apprentice- ships, the report provides an estimate of the value of apprentices to the Welsh economy:
• Foundation Apprenticeship (Level 2) annually generates around £510 million value to the Welsh economy (based on latest participation levels).
• Apprenticeship (Level 3) annually generates a similar £500 million value’. 32,33
2.11 Adult Learning
A lifelong learning approach is fully supported by the RLSP with recognition being given to the importance of adult learning. Community education and workplace education are undeniably at the core of providing learning opportunities to those individuals who may face unique barriers and are furthest away from the labour market and experiencing disadvantage. It is crucial that learning opportunities offered via adult learning are recognised for the progression opportunities they create and their wider economic benefit in supporting individuals to gain employment and reducing their reliance on state welfare. Adult learning could also support individuals who have to remain in the labour market due to an ageing workforce and raising state pension ages.
2.12 Rurality
Measuring rurality is a complex process, there are many factors which need to be considered, these include; rural land, rural people, rural businesses etc. Based on classifications published in 2008, the region of South West and Mid Wales contains the rural authorities (with a population density below the Wales average of 140 person per sqkm) of Powys, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire. However, it is important to note that all counties in Wales consist of a mix of ‘urban’ and ‘rural’ areas, therefore there are areas of Swansea and Neath Port Talbot that can be considered ‘rural’ also.
Given the prevalence of rurality in the region it is clear that the rural economy is of significant importance to our local areas and Wales as a whole. However, rurality brings with it unique challenges which include;
a) DecliningProductivity:Productivity(asmeasuredbyGVA)withinpredominantlyruralareasissignificantly below the UK and also below those of more urban areas across the region. This is a trend that is visible across the UK. This is in part due to the employment demography visible in the region, employment is most prevalent in those sectors which are characterised as being low GVA industries. The graph below depicts that employment levels are relatively low in those sectors highlighted in bold which are considered high value sectors.
32 NTfW – The Value of Apprenticeships to Wales (2015)
33 This estimate of the value of apprentices to the Welsh economy was calculated by assuming a return of £16 to each pound
of public money spent on a Level 2 Apprenticeship and £21 on a Level 3 Apprenticeship (National Audit Office, 2012). The estimate also assumed that expenditure on Level 2 Apprenticeships was £32-£36 million and Level 3 Apprenticeship was £24-28 million (Welsh Government, 2014).
Regional Employment & Skills Plan South West & Mid Wales
Policy Context