{"id":590439,"date":"2025-11-24T08:44:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T08:44:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/590439\/"},"modified":"2025-11-24T08:44:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T08:44:13","slug":"punching-above-our-weight-wales-opportunity-to-build-a-skills-based-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/590439\/","title":{"rendered":"Punching above our weight: Wales\u2019 opportunity to build a skills-based economy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dave Hagendyk calls on the next Welsh Government to put skills at the heart of a new national mission of growth, opportunity and fairness.<\/p>\n

This week, and for the very first time, Wales will host the finals of the\u00a0WorldSkillsUK\u00a0Competition<\/a>. Learners from the four nations of the UK, all with outstanding vocational and technical skills, will compete against each other for the accolade of being the best in their field and potentially earning an opportunity to represent the UK at the WorldSkills World Final in Shanghai in 2026.<\/p>\n

More than 400 competitors \u2013 with over a 100 from Wales, mainly learners in colleges \u2013 will compete across 47 different competitions in sectors as diverse as aircraft maintenance, welding, 3D Digital Game Art, automotive technology, beauty therapy, culinary arts and CNC Milling.<\/p>\n

While elsewhere there is a fair amount of negativity about education in Wales, the story on skills competitions is that we are actually pretty good at this and we punch well above our weight when it comes to medals and national and international performance. <\/p>\n

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Today, it is our further education sector that is the engine of social mobility and that is providing the route to a stronger economy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Just getting into the Welsh squad is incredibly competitive and preparation for the finals requires hours and hours of training. Learners compete for a place in the squad from right across the post-16 sector in Wales, although the vast majority of competitors study at further education colleges.<\/p>\n

The competitions reflect the incredible talent of young people in Wales and the remarkable impact of further education. To paraphrase Neil Kinnock\u2019s famous Llandudno speech\u00a0almost forty years ago<\/a>, our young people don\u2019t lack the talent or the strength, the endurance or the commitment. In the past, they maybe lacked the platform upon which they can stand and the support they needed to unlock their potential and succeed. Today, it is our further education sector that is the engine of social mobility and that is providing the route to a stronger economy. These finals matter; not just as a chance to fly the flag for Wales, they matter, too, because at a time of profound economic and political uncertainty, the Welsh skills system can cast itself as the foundation stone for growth, opportunity and fairness.<\/p>\n

This week\u2019s competitions come just days before the Welsh Government\u2019s flagship Investment Summit. This is our chance to show the depth and breadth of our talent to potential new employers and investors and for them to know we have the skills they need to help them compete and thrive. With new investment and sustained reform, Wales can build a global reputation for skills and talent that can help us navigate this new wave of global economic change.<\/p>\n

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We\u00a0also\u00a0expect political change to come at the Senedd Elections in May next year.\u00a0Whoever\u00a0is in charge of\u00a0the skills system will inherit a sector with strong foundations.\u00a0What is needed\u00a0is a government that is ready to commit\u00a0fully\u00a0to new\u00a0strategic economic and industrial priorities, and\u00a0that gives\u00a0colleges\u00a0the framework and the resources they need to deliver\u00a0high quality skills and training for young people and for adults\u00a0right across Wales.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are huge challenges facing Wales that need an urgent debate between now and the election in May.\u00a0We know that too many young people are not in education,\u00a0work\u00a0or training, that too many school age pupils\u00a0aren\u2019t\u00a0in school,\u00a0and\u00a0we know that too many adults are working but still unable to pay the bills.\u00a0The solutions lie in a successful further education sector;\u00a0in more collaboration with schools to enrich the curriculum and create vocational pathways at 14-19; more non-university pathways to higher skills at Levels 4 and 5, and flexible opportunities for adults to learn at every level.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Colleges pride themselves on being the \u2018can do\u2019 sector. Flexibility, responsiveness and an instinct for collaboration are in our DNA.<\/p>\n

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What is needed\u00a0is a government that is ready to commit\u00a0fully\u00a0to new\u00a0strategic economic and industrial priorities, and\u00a0that gives\u00a0colleges\u00a0the framework and the resources they need to deliver\u00a0high quality skills and training for young people and for adults\u00a0right across Wales.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Give us the right framework and resources, and we will build the platform for young people and adults to succeed. This is why we are calling on the next government to put skills at the heart of a new national mission of growth, opportunity and fairness.<\/p>\n

The next government should start with:\u00a0<\/p>\n