European Social Fund – Objective One

What it Means to Students:

We know local employers complain they can’t find staff with the right skills. We know from the Future Skills Wales Report employers require key (employability) skills including communication, team-working, ability to follow instructions, ability to learn, showing initiative, literacy, numeracy and IT.

Not only will these Key Skills help students into work when they’re ready, but it will also help them do well at college and get good qualifications. This is particularly important to Merthyr Tydfil because there is a poor skills pool in the Borough which detracts new companies from investing in this area. Historically our workforce has few qualifications to help them cope with changes in the way we work. Our ESF supported project will help young people make the transition from school to work, economically inactive people and in particular people in manual and low-skill occupations who wish to improve their chances of getting a better job.

The Key Skills Team, located in the Flexible Learning Centre, offer a calendar of pick-and-mix Key Skills Training, from a few hours per week through to week-long courses. They also provide help and support for students to build portfolios and achieve the Key Sills qualifications employers want and are available to advise on opportunities to go on motivational visits outside the college as part of Key Skills activities and how to take part in exciting new projects.

What it Means for Merthyr:

These improvements have already helped to make Merthyr Tydfil a viable and thriving community and the development will continue. As new businesses locate in Merthyr and local industries expand there will be new job opportunities. Everyone needs to prepare by developing the skills employers want. Having the right skills will make sure that people can get jobs and stay in them for as long as they wish to work. Employability skills delivered by the ESF supported project will further improve security and prosperity not only for everyone in the community but also for local businesses.

Christine Plummer Project Manager

Make Objective 1 turn your dream into reality!