Creating thousands of jobs for young people across Wales has been hailed as the Welsh Government’s greatest achievement of this past year.
Wrexham Assembly Member Lesley Griffiths has welcomed the publication of the annual Programme for Government Report which provides a comprehensive account of how the Welsh Government is delivering for the people of Wales.
The robust report studies how ministers are performing on 550 commitments, with progress being tracked against 335 specific indicators.
Delivering growth and sustainable jobs, improving health and well-being, supporting educational attainment and standing up for social justice remain the Welsh Government’s key commitments.
Some significant factors published in the report suggest for the first time ever more than half of adults in Wales now hold an A level or equivalent qualification. Wales has also shown the biggest improvement in cancer survival amongst the four countries of the UK and has achieved its target of recruiting an additional 500 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs).
It is perhaps the Welsh Government’s flagship youth employment programme, Jobs Growth Wales that has been the major success story. The report’s data shows since its inception in April 2012, Jobs Growth Wales has created over 13,000 job opportunities for young people in Wales aged 16-24, with over 5,000 created in the last year.
Commenting on the report, Ms Griffiths said:
“Overall, the Programme for Government Report provides strong evidence the Welsh economy and Welsh public services are moving forward, with Jobs Growth Wales in particular proving to be highly successful.”
“Clearly there is still work to be done yet in spite of the UK Coalition Government’s significant cuts to the Welsh budget, I am proud the Welsh Government is standing up for the people of Wales during difficult times.”
