Page 40 - Regional Employment & Skills Plan

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‘As a company we have experienced for many years that the level of literacy and numeracy skills of individuals leaving school have been declining over the last 10 - 15 years. We have, working with the local college, given a number of our workforce time off work to attend numeracy, literacy and IT training which has helped them in work and with their home lives.’
Whilst a lack of these skills can cause some productivity issues, a small proportion of employers feel that soft skills such as good communication skills and a strong work ethic are more important for the sector and the type of work these companies undertake.
Welsh Language
The vast majority of employers engaged with rated the Welsh language as being very important or fairly important to their business.
Many of those that expressed the language as being fairly important stated that although it’s important it is not crucial in the sector;
‘I don't think it is crucial in our sector. I am a Welsh speaker and proud of my heritage and Welsh language and keen to promote the values and importance. Difficult to put a value to the language for our business when the practical skill is the main driver.’
Some feel that the use of Welsh Language is not important at all as there are ‘not many fluent Welsh language speakers these days, everybody wants English speaking but Welsh is only a desirable skill not an essential skill.’
Barriers to Training
A major issue for the sector is the perceived disconnect between industry, careers advice services and schools, this is to the detriment of the learner where very little of their learning is based on live sites.
This of course results in an increased pressure on employers to release these individuals for the relevant training that they require, resulting in time becoming a significant barrier for employers. It is reported that releasing staff for training can be detrimental to the over-all productivity of that company on that given day.
There is a clear demand from employers for training to be more vocational;
‘Training needs to be more apprentice based so people can learn on the job and gain experience rather than classroom taught books and paperwork’
Location and cost were also cited as barriers with employers finding it difficult to source fit for purpose training in their area which exacerbates the cost element.
‘We believe the current training setup is overly biased towards trade professions and is unnecessarily complex for both trainees and companies looking to train and recruit.’
Regional Employment & Skills Plan South West & Mid Wales Sector Profiles