Launch event of the Mid Wales Employment and Skills Plan 2022 - 2025

30 March 2023

Mid Wales businesses and organisations who are thinking ahead about their future workforce needs recently came together for an engagement day, Grow - Define - Deliver Togetherwhere the Mid Wales Regional Skills Partnership Employment and Skills Plan 2022-2025 was officially launched.

Held by the Mid Wales Regional Skills Partnership (RSP), the event was an opportunity for businesses to network and explore the opportunities around upskilling, training and apprenticeships and guidance around procurement and tendering.

Emma Thomas, Chair of the Mid Wales Regional Skills Partnership said: "I'd like to thank everyone who attended the event. As a business-led partnership, we wanted the region's businesses to use the event as a platform to voice their opinion and to share their story - to use this as an opportunity for further development identification of challenges in all areas of skills, training, and the regional economy."

The Minister for Economy, Vaughan Gething MS officially launched the Employment and skills plan through a pre-recorded video, acknowledging the collaboration and co-production that that had taken place to bring together the ambitious plan for the region.

The Plan identifies key sectors and skills, priorities for regional investment to support jobs and growth in the Mid Wales region and sets out the mechanism to create a more prosperous skills' infrastructure for the region for the next 3 years and beyond.

Councillor Bryan Davies, Leader of Ceredigion County Council and Councillor James Gibson-Watt, Leader of Powys County Council, jointly said: "Through engaging closely with businesses, giving them a voice to influence priorities for the region, this Plan addresses the importance of making strong connections between businesses, and the local learning system, so that we are creating the right conditions for a thriving workforce.

"Being the first Plan of its kind in the region, we want it to be used as a way to leverage change in the region."

If you missed the event but would like to get involved with the work of the RSP you may be interested in joining the Business Cluster Group that is being set up. Mid Wales Business leaders/experts can join the group which aims to help the RSP identify and address the barriers and issues affecting businesses in Mid Wales.

More members are needed to ensure there is a balance of representatives from different sectors and a variety in micro, medium and large businesses.

Emma continued: "Help us to understand your barriers to skills and recruitment, enabling the Mid Wales Regional Skills Partnership to be your voice when and where it matters."

To join the cluster group, email midwalesrsp@powys.gov.uk.

You can view the Employment and Skills plan on the Growing Mid Wales website: www.growingmid.wales/midwalesskillspartnership