Page 72 - Regional Employment & Skills Plan

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Opportunities and Challenges
There is a significant demand from employers within the area to see improvements in the careers advice provided to learners at a young age to improve their perceptions of key employment sectors. This is also true of Apprenticeships as a learning route as many learners are unaware of the opportunities they could provide.
The level of engagement between employers and providers is limited presently. It is therefore felt that employer needs are not being adequately met both in terms of the suitability of provision and the limitations in the offer generally.
Priorities Identified
• The immediate priority is to improve the offer locally in Mid Wales, however until this is achieved it is essential that cross border activity remains available to learners. Individuals are the most important not where they live or work and standards and funding should provide appropriate mechanisms for continued delivery until an appropriate alternative is offered.
• Need to innovate and do things differently, including being more agile and more responsive to innovation and change.
• A lack of quality and appropriate training locally is a concern, greater emphasis needs to be placed on employer and learner satisfaction and the needs of the local labour market.
• There is a difficulty in recruiting assessors in a number of areas which is impacting upon the availability of vocational delivery.
Regional Employment & Skills Plan South West & Mid Wales Sector Profiles