CARMARTHENSHIRE SHARED APPRENTICESHIP SCHEME

Early day motion 1134, tabled 3 March 2014 by Jonathan Edwards (Plaid Cymru). Signed by 5 members.

That this House notes that Carmarthenshire Shared Apprenticeship Scheme, a social enterprise created by Coleg Sir Gar, has employed over 220 apprentices since its inception in September 2007; further notes that the scheme has secured excellent outcomes including over 95 per cent attainment at NVQ level 3 and over 90 per cent retention in the construction sector after gaining level 3 qualifications; believes that the innovative structures of the scheme ensure that apprentices have gained additional skills by working on different construction projects with a range of partners; welcomes the growth of the Carmarthenshire scheme to a South West Wales Regional Shared Apprenticeship Scheme which aims to employ 145 construction shared apprentices and become the single largest employer of construction apprentices in the UK by September 2014; and further notes that long-term youth unemployment has quadrupled in Wales since 2011 and that Carmarthenshire is providing an example of best practice for the rest of Wales and the UK to follow.

Signatures by party: Plaid Cymru 3, DUP 2.