ColegauCymru was pleased to be invited to present at the Learning and Work Institute’s Employability and Skills Wales Convention 2019. Director of Policy and Public Affairs, Dr Rachel Bowen, outlined our recent European-funded research on Building a Better Wales – Lessons from Europe.
The research explored the relationship between higher-level skills and economic resilience, and examined how Wales can make the most of the knowledge and experience shared by our partners in other European countries.
Our findings complemented earlier presentations by Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport, Lee Waters, who highlighted the foundational economy and the need for Wales to try new approaches, as well as that by Professor Phil Brown from Cardiff University who talked about the conclusions of the Wales 4.0 report on digital innovation.
The three key observations from the research Rachel emphasised were:
- A balanced approach to future skills is needed - investment should be made for skills at all levels, not just higher-level skills.
- Greater emphasis on outcomes and skills, rather than outputs and qualifications.
- Think long term.
Rachel said,
“It was great to hear how many of our report findings resonated with the audience. ColegauCymru is looking forward to working with all interested stakeholders to make progress on our recommendations in the lead up to the next National Assembly elections in 2021. It’s clear that while Wales needs to continue to think big, we also need to think long.”
