CARMARTHENSHIRE SHARED APPRENTICESHIP SCHEME

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.