Aspire Blaenau Gwent & Merthyr Tydfil

Plugging the manufacturing industry’s skills gap whilst tackling high unemployment across 2 local authorities has led to the creation of a pioneering Apprenticeship Programme.

Aspire Blaenau Gwent & Merthyr Tydfil’s Shared Apprenticeship Programme benefits companies that have adopted its innovative approach where learners are rotated around host employers to achieve units towards their apprenticeship.

In 2015, the Ebbw Vale Enterprise Zone Board identified the significant lack of employees with Level 3 and above skills in Blaenau Gwent, and 2 years later, Merthyr Tydfil also came online.

Aspire is now working with both Coleg y Cymoedd, who link with Coleg Gwent, and Coleg Merthyr Tydfil to foster the next generation of skilled workers through apprenticeships covering Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, ICT, Applied Science, Quality Engineering as well as Business/Commercial Administration and Finance.