Page 52 - Regional Employment & Skills Plan

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Numeracy, Literacy & ICT Skills
There are variations across the sector in terms of these skills, with some employers reporting no issues and some conversely reporting severe issues. There appears to be no pattern to these results with the whole spectrum of business (regardless of their size and location) experiencing difficulties.
Where companies reported that they do not have issues, many stated that in the majority of cases the level of these skills is adequate across their workforce and if necessary further internal training is provided.
A notable example of where a large company is experiencing difficulties in this area is where over 60% of their workforce are Eastern European. Understandably this would cause challenges especially given that their first language is not English. This company is especially concerned about the potential effects of Brexit stating;
‘...the majority of our workforce is Eastern European. Any barriers to the movement of labour will majorly affect our business.’
Welsh Language
The evidence indicates that the importance of Welsh language skills to businesses is highly dependent on the profile of their workforce and their location.
For instance, the use of Welsh for one company is obsolete given that the majority of the companies they work with employ migrant workers (especially during peak times in their manufacturing). This increases the demand for the use of English as a first language.
On the contrary, one business stated that; ‘Around a third of the staff are able to speak Welsh and it is an important part of the business culture. We try and reflect our Welsh identity wherever possible and part of this is use of Welsh signage and having Welsh speaking staff available to customers who prefer to conduct their business through the medium of Welsh.’
Those businesses that rated the language as being ‘fairly important’ reported difficulties in recruiting suitably skilled staff, with one stating; ‘We do use the Welsh language in some of our marketing communications but do not have the skills to offer fully bi-lingual service to our customers and stakeholders.’
Barriers to Training
The vast majority of respondents stated that they do not experience barriers to training. The only gaps in provision reported were in English language training due to the times provided, however this is not overly detrimental for that business.
Skills Gaps
Electronic Engineering
Sales & communications skills
Skilled Butchers
Skills Gaps
CPC qualified drivers
Food Safety
Management
Regional Employment & Skills Plan South West & Mid Wales Sector Profiles