Page 24 - Swansea Skills Report 2024

The RLSP can provide data that delineates
much of the skills needed for the Celtic
Freeport project to become operational. The
comprehensive activities and skills were
matched to the Skills and Talent Barometer* to
ascertain the skills gaps for this future
opportunity. Around 126 skills or activities were
found to have no skills provision being
delivered at HE level within Neath Port Talbot
but some are being delivered in Swansea.
Below are a few examples of the activities / jobs
with gaps identified in the Barometer report:
• Skipper
• Helicopter Pilot
• Commercial Pilot
• Aircraft Pilot
• Second Officer
• Shipbroker
• Customs Officer
• Dismantling Worker
• Vessel Assembly Inspector
• Control Panel Tester
However, funding for Maritime Studies at
Pembrokeshire college in partnership with
Warsash Maritime School, Reardon Smith
Nautical Trust and Milford Haven Port Authority
has been approved by the Swansea Bay City
Deal Skills and Talent team. This aims to
develop a new courses to meet future skills.
Despite the current lack of vocational maritime
courses offered at FE level in Neath Port Talbot,
the Associated British Ports (ABP) states the
following:
“Together with the Port of Swansea, Port Talbot
supports almost 10,000 jobs nationally and
contributes over £670 million to the economy
every year.”
The above point indicates a healthy supply of
labour in the region that could be upskilled to
accommodate the future skills needs of the
Celtic Free Port project, and partnership
collaborations can strengthen the skills needed.
Skill Requirement
delivery
Synergy between Local Authorities on skill
delivery will be crucial.
Investments may also be catalysed by port
redevelopment, and could be accommodated at
other strategic employment sites, including Blue
Eden.
Creating synergies will become important as
collaboration is a key theme threading through
much of the evidence on achieving net zero and
tech innovation. Key considerations being:
Creating the right investments, create strong
skills and R&D links to academia, and create the
right policy environment – all with the objective
of reinforcing the concentration of competing,
collaborating and inter-trading companies in
Swansea and NPT port zones.
Both Swansea University and HE Colleges in
Neath, Bridgend and Swansea are likely to be
important partners for training and workforce
development activities.
Associated British Ports will look at developing
links with local networks on ‘meet the buyer’
events which create opportunities for local
businesses.
Links with academia: Port Talbot’s competitive
position would be significantly improved by
creating a reputation as a marine technology and
low carbon manufacturing cluster, building long-
term resilience in the face of likely ongoing
technological change.
There are a number of initiatives that could be
explored alongside the University of Swansea,
University of Cardiff, and other academic
partners, many of which would attract public
sector funding.
Many of these synergies and partnerships are
already forming with NPT and must be
continually encouraged
abp-future-ports-port-talbot-online-final.pdf (abports.co.uk)
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