The middle of April saw the launch of major new skills and jobs programmes, with CIPD Wales unveiling its pioneering Hidden In Plain Sight campaign to help bring thousands of disadvantaged people into the workplace, Welsh Government pledge £13 million for trade unions to deliver learning and upskill support - and Daikin and Robert Price introduce an innovative one-day training course to skill-up on the heat pump installations that are helping drive our green heating revolution.

The past seven days have witnessed major new developments in Skills & Talent across the Cardiff Capital Region - and Wales as a whole - with tremendous news that Cardiff & Vale College has teamed up with FinTech Wales to create a unique and inclusive fast-track training programme … Welsh Government announcing a further £4.5million funding for the Flexible Skills Programme … Caerphilly-based Educ8 becoming an Employee-owned as well as phenomenally fast-growing training company … and a heart-warming How We Live report revealing that 52% of Welsh workers would give serious thought to a “greener career” ….

Spring 2022 arrived with news that two Cardiff-headquartered learning providers will deliver the pivotal Jobs Growth Wales+ programme … two Southeast Wales-based apprentices have made it through the semifinals of the Screwfix Trade Apprenticeship Competition … Wales’ first-ever National StartUp Awards finalists have been revealed … and there was a welcome pay boost for millions of workers as National Minimum and Living Wage rates increase …

In our last feature, we saw how the spirit of innovation is transforming our Public Sector, with the pioneering INFUSE programme playing a key role as a major catalyst of change - providing a platform and framing the opportunities for public service employees to develop the knowledge and acquire the tools that will shape Wales and the UK for decades to come.

Careers Wales revealed how more than 60,000 new green jobs could be created in just two years across Wales … the Demos-PwC Good Growth for Cities Index ranked Cardiff as the fastest-improving UK city for talent … further west, Llanelli’s Railway Goods Shed is the focus for a unique skills-based restoration … and nationally, the ACCA is partnering with Migrant Leaders to widen the accountancy talent pipeline …

Our Public Sector is transforming before our very eyes: being driven by new ideas, new skills and a renewed purpose. This profound change is bringing fresh thinking, broader horizons and ever-more tangible innovation - with the pioneering INFUSE programme providing the platform and opportunity for public service people to develop the knowledge and acquire the tools that will shape Wales and the UK for decades to come.

Southeast Wales last week saw the launch of two revolutionary facilities that will help nurture and develop our skills and talent, with the awe-inspiring sbarc|spark opening its doors at Cardiff University and 5G Wales Unlocked trialling its pioneering 5G immersive classroom in Ebbw Vale. Beyond those major new developments, the past seven days has also seen the UK Cyber Security Council and Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport reveal the significant role played by the cyber security sector in creating jobs in our region - as well as Make UK announcing news of a National Manufacturing Day that will showcase the wide range of opportunities available in a sector that’s hugely important to Cardiff Capital Region …

Last week saw our region taking its place at major Skills Awards, with CAVC winning the WorldSkills UK Diversity Ambassador Awards, Bouygues UK supporting the ICE Wales Cymru STEM Ambassador of the Year Awards - and the Duke of Edinburgh Awards in Wales sponsoring the National Start Up Awards 2022 for the very first time.

Last week saw some tremendously encouraging headlines across our many talent communities, with Openreach creating 250 new Welsh jobs in 2022 (following their record year for hiring Women Engineers) …. Admiral named as the UK’s fourth best employer for Wellbeing …. a new plan announced to launch Wales’ Space Sector into orbit …. but a disappointing study by AAT reporting on the paucity of careers advice around apprenticeships …

Last week saw skills and talent in our region recognised by the 2022 Oscar nominations … celebrated at the Young Innovators Awards …  catered for in a pioneering new Hospitality Management Academy … feature in South Wales’ first all-female accelerator - and form part of the debate over Manufacturing Apprenticeship funding ….