Extra cash for apprenticeships in Welsh budget

The Welsh Government has pledged to deliver 100,000 "all age" apprenticeships

The Welsh Government has said it will spend an extra £6.8m on apprenticeships in Wales.

In the publication of its final version budget, ministers also backed £4.7m for further education pay and £2m for child poverty initiatives.

Plans for a £23.6m package to extend support to high street retailers through business rate relief were also confirmed.

A vote on the £18bn 2019-20 budget will be held in the Senedd in January.

There had been calls for more funding for councils after the original draft budget saw all local government facing real-terms cuts while the NHS sees spending rise by 5%.

But the extent of the cuts has since been lessened.

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Welsh Government said the extra cash for apprenticeships will be spent on delivering 100,000 "all-age" apprenticeships.

The announcements follow the UK government budget which pledged an extra £550m to the Welsh Government over three years.

The Welsh Government said it intends to apply the full amount of cash included in the £550m that comes as a result of additional spending in England on business rate relief on supporting Welsh businesses.

As well as cash to extend and improve the high street scheme, £2.4m will be given to local authorities to provide discretionary rates relief.

Minister for finance Rebecca Evans said: "Apprenticeships are vital for helping people gain high-quality vocational training and providing opportunities for businesses and the economy to thrive."

An extra £1.6m will be used to extend the Pupil Deprivation Grant Access scheme that helps pay for uniforms and sports kit, while £400,000 will be added to the Food and Fun programme to provide children with a meal during the summer holidays.

'Disappointing'

Following discussions with Plaid Cymru as part of its two year budget deal with Labour, an additional £5m will fund work following feasibility studies into a national art gallery and a national football museum, bringing the total pot to the projects for £10m.

Plaid's Bethan Sayed also welcomed the extra spending of £500,000 to enhance music support for young people.

But Plaid Cymru finance spokesman Rhun ap Iorwerth said: "It is disappointing that the Welsh Government haven't taken the opportunity to look again to provide a fairer settlement for Local Government in this Budget."