Engagement Team in Action: New beginnings and new priorities for skills in Wales

Written by Tabby Hanlon-Scott (Sector Engagement Lead)

I know we call this blog 'Engagement Team in Action', but it’s more like ‘Gearing Up for Action’ for me!

I’ve just returned from maternity leave, so the past few weeks have been all about easing myself back in, catching up on everything that’s happened while I’ve been away, reconnecting with familiar faces, and meeting new ones for the first time - all while remembering how to function on limited sleep. It’s been a whirlwind, but it feels good to be back!

One of the biggest changes for me is taking on responsibility for engagement across Wales, and what a moment to step into it!

Update from Wales

Following the recent Senedd elections, Wales is entering a period of significant transition. With a new Plaid Cymru–led government, ending Labour’s century‑long run, there’s a real sense of change afoot.

Periods of transition bring uncertainty, but they also bring opportunity.

Plaid Cymru have long emphasised the importance of a strong skills system and a resilient industrial base. They view engineering as central to Wales’ net-zero transition and strongly emphasise the need to protect and grow Welsh manufacturing, particularly SMEs. They’ve got big ideas skills too.

In their manifesto, Plaid Cymru called for a national skills audit to creating the foundation for a refreshed skills, training and workforce development strategy.

They’ve also shared their intention to:

• Strengthen vocational and technical education and expand apprenticeships, particularly in technical and STEM fields
• Widen access to upskilling and reskilling opportunities to enable lifelong learning
• Deepen partnerships between providers and employers so skills provision reflects national and regional economic needs
• Improve careers advice, raise awareness of post‑16 pathways and strengthen collaboration across schools, colleges and employers to reduce fragmentation.

Wales is undeniably at a turning point, and the choices made in the months ahead will shape the future of skills, engineering and manufacturing for years to come.

In the meantime, I’m reconnecting with Regional Skills Partnerships, educators, SMEs and stakeholders across Wales to understand priorities, challenges and opportunities on the ground.

If you’d like to talk about any of this, share insights or simply reconnect, please do feel free to get in touch: [email protected]