Wales

To read the Welsh language version of this page click here.

To find out about playwork in Wales please visit: PlayWales

Our role

Our role is to ensure the full involvement of Welsh employers in the sector at a UK level. We represent the sector’s Welsh interests to parliament, the Welsh Assembly Government and its key divisions such as the Department for Education Lifelong Learning and Skills and the Department for Enterprise Innovation and Networks. We also work in partnership with other Welsh organisations that have an interest in education and training such as the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW), Careers Wales, Job Centre Plus and the Wales TUC.

Profile of the sector in Wales

• Active leisure and learning contributed £400 million in output to the Welsh economy in 2004.
• The sector employs 27,000 paid employees in over 2,100 organisations across Wales.
• The sector comprises of micro organisations (74%) and SMEs, with less than 1% of employers employing over 250 employees.
• Almost half of the paid workforce work part-time compared to nearly one quarter of the whole economy.
• 59% of employees are female, higher than the Welsh average of 47%.
• Less than 20% of the workforce is under 25, an increasingly competitive market for employees. 24% are aged 35-44 and 32% aged 45-59. 
• There are around 5.8 million volunteers operating across the UK. Sport is the largest single sector for volunteering accounting for around 28% of all volunteering carried out.
• There are 70,000 coaches in Wales, 84% of these are volunteers with only 11,200 in paid employment.

Sector Skills Agreement for Wales

SkillsActive, in partnership with a number of professional bodies and government offices, has undertaken extensive consultation with employers and training providers in Wales to discover the skills gaps and shortages for the country. The result of this consultation have formed part of SkillsActive’s Sector Skills Agreement for Wales, and has resulted in an action plan detailing how SkillsActive, in partnership with key sector bodies, will address the skills needs of the workforce in Wales.

The SSA Summary for Wales is available to download.

The SkillsActive Welsh Language Policy

SkillsActive recognises that individuals should be able to express their views and needs in their preferred language. We are developing a policy ensuring that the public has the right to choose which language to use in all dealings with SkillsActive.

Recent News

• Employability Skills Report: Towards a concept of defining ‘Employability Skills’ for the Active Leisure and Learning Sector
• SkillsActive Wales Briefing - April 2007

Contact SkillsActive in Wales

Richard Tobutt is the Programme Manager for Wales, his email address is richard.tobutt@skillsactive.com

SkillsActive Wales
C/O Sports Council for Wales
Welsh Institute of Sport
Sophia Gardens
Cardiff
CF11 9SW

tel: +44 (0) 29 20644526

For further information about SkillsActive in Wales...