Welsh Conservative Assembly Member for South Wales West, Dr Altaf Hussain, has called upon the Welsh Government to open up its ‘Jobs Growth Wales’ work programme to workers of all ages, and says that the current provisions of the scheme – which provides work-based training opportunities to 16-24 year olds – are “inherently ageist” and “economically short-sighted”.
During First Minister’s questions at the Assembly this week, Dr Hussain called upon the Welsh Government to consider removing the age cap on the programme, so that all workers and employers in Swansea could access the benefits of economic growth in the City.
Dr Hussain said “There are a lot of exciting projects in the offing for Swansea and the surrounding areas at the moment – such as the tidal lagoon, electrification of the railway and the substantial redevelopment work in Swansea City Centre.
A lot of these projects are very skills-intensive, and it is vital the skills needed can be found within the local workforce if the benefits to Swansea’s local economy are to be maximised.
“The age –cap on the Welsh Government’s flagship work scheme therefore seems highly counter-productive. It is inherently ageist and would seem to write off many as ‘too old’ when clearly they can have a lot to offer. Under current provisions, even a twenty-five year old would be deemed too old for help under the scheme, which seems pretty ludicrous.
“Employers will consider Swansea an even better prospect for investment if they know these vital skills are present, so to exclude a huge chunk of the workforce from the chance to gain these employers desire is economically short-sighted”.
Older People’s Commissioner Sarah Rochida has previously criticised the Welsh Government for refusing to consider setting up a version of Jobs Growth Wales for older people.