Page 55 - Regional Employment & Skills Plan 2019

• Changes to trading conditions could disadvantage the competitive position Welsh Agriculture currently holds in particular in sheep and beef.
• If farms were unable to respond adaptively to the reduced levels and scope of public funding the sector has been accustomed to over recent years it could be detrimental to the industry.
• Differentiations could be seen in the way key food and forestry processors and retailers invest in Wales and Welsh products which could have negative impacts.
• The changes to the exporting and importing of food products and ingredients utilised by the food manufacturing industry could affect the day to day operation of their business.
• The availability of labour could be a significant issue, especially for the food manufacturing industry whereby there is a high proliferation of migrant workers employed within the sector. This could obviously have significant skills implications for the region.
Welsh Language
The Welsh language was reported as being a skills challenge by three businesses. The cluster group feel that the Welsh language is important in a cultural sense and can be especially vital for certain companies who have built a brand on the ‘Welshness’ of their product or service.
The group felt that whilst it is important in some instances to the identity of some companies, it is not essential to the day to day operation of their business.
It was agreed that there is no demand for provision which is bilingual or solely offered through the medium of Welsh.
Low Carbon
The cluster group have considered the role of the sector against the Welsh Government, Prosperity for All: A Low Carbon Wales, 2019. They recognise that the forestry sector has a significant role to play in terms of the potential planting of additional trees to sequester carbon. The cluster group’s direction of travel will evolve with due consideration given to the additional workers that may be required for this operation, and the additional training required.
Likewise, skills and training required to both complete and decipher Green House Gas impact assessments will no doubt evolve during the three year time frame of this plan. The cluster will continue to consider how best to approach and advise on these requirements.
Priority
To ensure that the sector is promoted effectively to dispel the misconceptions which exist to those in primary school and above. This will alleviate some of the recruitment challenges faced by the sector. There is also a requirement to develop further education provision within the food manufacturing sector as there is currently no offering.
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58 RLSP analysis of EMSI Job Posting Analytics
Regional Employment & Skills Plan South West & Mid Wales
Sector Profiles