Source · Select Committees · Welsh Affairs Committee
Recommendation 21
21
Deferred
Develop and publish strategy for placing government advertisements on community radio stations
Recommendation
Advertising on community radio would benefit their development and enable the Government to reach a wider audience with its advertisements, potentially increasing the pool of applicants for public sector jobs. We call on the Government to develop and publish by April 2024 a strategy setting out how it will seek to place advertisements on community radio stations. (Paragraph 116) Broadcasting in Wales 45 Developing the skills pipeline into Welsh broadcasting
Government Response Summary
The government responded by outlining apprenticeship reforms, the Apprenticeship Levy, improvements to the apprenticeship system in England, and new technical training routes like creative T Levels and Skills Bootcamps, not addressing the recommendation to publish a strategy for advertising on community radio.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
The apprenticeship reforms of the last decade, including the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy, has enabled employers of all sizes to make a long-term, sustainable and high-quality investment in training. While the Apprenticeship Levy is UK-wide, apprenticeship policy and spending is devolved meaning the devolved administrations receive a Barnett consequential on English apprenticeship spending. It is for the devolved administrations to allocate their funding in devolved areas as they see fit, including investing in their skills programmes. There will not be a formal review of the Apprenticeship Levy or system at this time, but we are committed to protecting the quality of apprenticeship training and improving the system in England to respond to the legitimate concerns raised by employers. We recently announced a suite of improvements to the system, including launching a new digital platform in Autumn 2023 to help employers and learners identify apprenticeship opportunities and reducing the steps needed to register to take on an apprentice by a third. The Government continues to work with the creative industries, in particular through the Creative Advisory Group with DfE, DCMS and industry representatives. We are working to ensure technical training routes in England, such as apprenticeships, can work for the particular needs of the creative industries. Beyond apprenticeships, by September 2024, we will offer creative T Levels on Craft & Design and Media, Broadcast & Production. In addition, we also provide Skills Bootcamps which are short, dynamic and flexible employer-led training courses. From early 2024, we will launch delivery of Skills Bootcamps to prepare adults for jobs in the creative industries, teaching skills such as Content Creation, TV Production, Project Management for Creative and Cultural Sectors, Augmented Reality and Emerging Technologies, and UI/UX Design for Games.