ColegauCymru has outlined its priorities for the Senedd’s Economy, Energy and Connectivity Committee, calling for a strong focus on skills, apprenticeships and pathways into employment as Wales seeks to boost productivity, tackle economic inactivity and secure the benefits of major economic transitions, including in renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, digital technologies and AI.
Three interconnected priorities that will be critical to Wales’s long-term prosperity:
- addressing youth unemployment;
- strengthening the role of skills in supporting productivity and innovation; and
- ensuring Wales secures jobs and economic value from the transition to a net-zero and technology-driven economy.
At the end of 2025, 56,800 young people aged 16 to 24 in Wales were not in education, employment or training (NEET), giving Wales the highest NEET rate of any UK nation. Reducing this figure is essential not only for improving individuals’ life chances, but also for supporting economic growth and addressing regional inequalities.
Strengthening pathways into work through apprenticeships, vocational education and training, high-quality careers guidance and targeted support to help young people overcome barriers to participation. ColegauCymru urges the Committee to examine whether Wales has a responsive, evidence-led skills system capable of meeting current and future economic needs. Particular attention should be given to higher-level technical and vocational skills, workforce development and the role colleges play in supporting employers across Wales. Sustained investment in skills is fundamental to improving productivity, encouraging innovation and ensuring businesses have access to the workforce they need to grow and compete.
Apprenticeships must remain central to Wales’s economic development agenda. Addressing youth unemployment, improving productivity and securing the benefits of economic transition are inter connected. A strong apprenticeship programme, a responsive skills system and a well-resourced further education sector will be essential to delivering progress across all three areas. ColegauCymru stands ready to support both the Welsh Government and the Senedd Committees in further developing our skills system to support economic growth.
Further Information
Senedd Cymru
Priorities for the Economy, Energy and Connectivity Committee
ColegauCymru Manifesto for the Senedd 2026 Election
Growth, Opportunity and Fairness - Manifesto 2026
Jeff Protheroe, Strategic Adviser, Work-based Learning and Employability
Jeff.Protheroe@ColegauCymru.ac.uk
