SE Wales Regional Engagement Team Weekly News Bulletin

Bridgend County Borough Council sent this bulletin at 29-06-2023 01:24 PM BST

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Hello Subscriber

Welcome to our weekly round-up of news and information related to the delivery of ESI funded projects in the Cardiff Capital Region. Please circulate amongst your teams and networks. If you have any queries about the content, please contact us by emailing sewalesret@bridgend.gov.uk.

Lisa, Amy, and Kate

Find out more about the Social Business Wales Awards 2023.

The Social Business Wales Awards are part of the Social Business Wales (SBW) project which is funded by Welsh Government.

This will be the 8^th year of the SBW Awards, Cwmpas aim to highlight the tremendous growth and potential of the sector and its vital contribution to communities across Wales.

This year there are six award categories for social enterprises to choose from and enter which reflect the ways that social enterprises and social entrepreneurs have really made a difference to our lives in the last 12 months.

All winners will go on to represent Wales at the Social Enterprise UK Awards in December.

Find out more about the Social Business Wales Awards 2023.

Creative Wales Investment Boosts the Welsh Economy

Creative Wales’ investment in productions has boosted the Welsh economy by £187 million since it was created in 2020, Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Dawn Bowden announced last week.

The Deputy Minister revealed the figures at Creative Wales’ first in-person showcase event held in Cardiff, which will celebrated the thriving sector’s achievements and outlined plans for future growth and development.

Since its establishment, Creative Wales, the Welsh Government’s creative agency, has invested £16.3 million in production funding to 31 projects, generating over £187 million into the Welsh economy and demonstrating in excess of an 11:1 Return on Investment for the economy.

Solving the Retrofit Skills Gap: A Four Nations Knowledge Sharing Event

Coleg y Cymoedd are hosing a knowledge sharing event on 7th July at their Nantgarw Campus. Speakers from Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales will share their approaches to filling the retrofit skills gaps.

The work of retrofitting property will make a significant contribution to achieving Welsh Government's ambitious net zero targets and result in more energy efficient homes and buildings in challenging economic times.

This event has been planned to explore solutions to the significant challenges related to providing the training and skills needed to complete this work.

The event will include keynote speakers, a panel discussion with Q&A, roundtable discussion and an opportunity for some informal networking.

Read the event flyer.

Find out more and book a place for the event.

New work experience scheme to support young people to achieve their full potential

Young people at risk of leaving education will be provided with meaningful work experience as part of efforts to ensure they reconnect with their education, Minister for Education and Welsh Language, Jeremy Miles announced last week.

Following on from a successful pilot, the half a million-pound scheme will support up to 500 learners aged 14-16, in years 10 and 11 in 2023/24. They will benefit from high quality work experience placements, in a sector that appeals to them as part of wider Welsh Government work to prevent and reduce youth unemployment.

Careers Wales advisers will work with schools and employers across Wales to match up to 500 year 10 and year 11 learners with a placement.

Learners will be expected to engage or re-engage with core GCSE studies at their school as part of the scheme, whilst attending their work experience placement, one to two days a week.

As part of the pilot scheme where 100 year 10 learners were offered a work experience placement, Louie, now a year 11 learner at Newport High School was placed at Brooklyn Motors, a garage in Newport.

Louie was not attending school in year 10, but as a result of his work experience placement and the mentorship of David Cocks, the owner of the garage, he has returned to school and is catching up with his school work.

Jobs Growth Wales+ supported employment coach pilot (evaluation): 2021 to 2022

The Jobs Growth Wales+ supported employment coach pilot evaluation report has been published.

The overall aim of the pilot is to improve outcomes for young people with a moderate to severe learning disability/difficulty (LDD) and/or autism, by increasing the number who progress on to paid employment or apprenticeships.

The evaluation examined the delivery and outcomes of the pilot, and aims to provide detailed insight into the effectiveness of the programme to inform future Welsh Government policy and programmes designed to improve employment outcomes for disabled young people.

Read the evaluation report.

Marine Energy Wales: State of the Sector Report

The Marine Energy Wales annual State of the Sector Report highlights the remarkable progress and achievements of Wales in the marine renewable energy sector, including a record-breaking £103.4 million investment and spending, nearly quadrupling the previous year’s figures.

The tidal stream segment emerged as the largest contributor to the Welsh economy, with £45.1 million in spending and investment, closely followed by the supply chain at £44.7 million. The Floating offshore Wind (FLOW) sector demonstrated rapid growth, injecting £11.6 million into the economy in the past year.

The latest figures show the Welsh marine energy sector sustains 440 full-time equivalent jobs, spanning a diverse range of roles. Newly gathered data sheds fresh light on the gender distribution of employment within the sector, offering valuable insights for the first time.

The sector’s growth prospects remain promising, especially for tidal stream and FLOW. Notably, FLOW emerges as a standout, presenting a remarkable £1 billion economic opportunity in the next five years alone.

View the State of the Sector Report 2023 here

Creative Industries Sector Vision

UK Government have published their Creative industries sector vision setting out how the government and industry will work together to unlock the growth potential of the creative industries.

Creative industries contributed £108 billion to the UK economy in 2021. By working with industry, the UK Government plan to grow these industries by £50 billion of gross value added and support a million extra jobs with a pipeline of talent and opportunity for young people by 2030.

It is a vision for the creative industries to become an even greater growth engine and where creative talent from all backgrounds, and creative businesses from all areas in the UK, can thrive.

Read the Creative industry sector vision

South East Wales Regional Engagement Team
Civic Offices, Angel Street, Bridgend, CF31 4WB
T: 01656 815327

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