REC writes to Vaughan Gething MS

Following feedback from members, the REC wrote to Welsh Economy Minister, Vaughan Gething MS to raise our concerns about changes to the Young Person’s Guarantee, and specifically to Job Growth Wales (now Job Growth Wales+). The Young Person's Guarantee is a great initiative and it's encouraging to see such a joined-up approach between education providers, employers, and policy makers - something we've been calling on governments across the UK to do. However, the latest iteration of the Job Growth Wales+ scheme has narrowed in scope, focusing only on supporting 16–18-year-olds into work, rather helping young people aged 16-24, as was the case previously. While many of our members made extensive use of the previous scheme, the narrowed scope no longer makes this practical.

Against a backdrop of shortages and economic inactivity, we’ve called for the scheme to be expanded, to include a slightly older age group, as was done previously. This approach would help support a wider pool of young people and ensure that every sector can make the most of such an important scheme, without undermining opportunities available for 16–18-year-olds.

You can download and read our letter to Minister Gething here.