Economy Minister, Vaughan Gething recently addressed a construction summit in Cardiff which brought together Welsh construction sector leaders during a period of economic pressures and challenges.
With around one in 20 of all jobs in Wales being in the construction sector, the summit was an opportunity for leaders to discuss the opportunities available in Wales and how best to lever those opportunities to grow the economy, create prosperity and provide the skills and training necessary for the workforce in a rapidly changing environment.
The summit also marks the start of a new relationship between Welsh Government and Constructing Excellence in Wales which will now provide Welsh ministers with specialist construction advice, real time market intelligence and a research capability.
The new relationship will improve the quality of engagement between government and the sector at a time when the economy is experiencing challenging times.
In addressing the summit at the Leonardo Hotel in Cardiff, the Economy Minister, Vaughan Gething, said:
The Welsh Government recognises the important role that the construction industry plays in both supporting economic development in Wales and contributing to Wales’ engagement with businesses across the world.
“In these challenging times Construction Excellence in Wales’ members and industry views have never been more important to help achieve the objectives set out in the recently announced Economic Mission.
“Our aim through the Economic Mission is to set Wales on a path to deliver a greener, fairer and more prosperous Wales. We want to create an economic environment to support both wellbeing of the population and increase a focus upon productivity and growth, where nobody is left behind and to help more young people feel confident in planning ambitious futures in Wales.
“One of our priorities is to create stronger partnerships for our everyday economy and I look forward to working more closely with Construction Excellence Wales.
“This summit is timely, it brings together sector leaders engaged across the entire spectrum of activity and partnerships with the public sector.
“The sector must remain confident and viable going forward if we are to see real economic growth in Wales.
“However, this is not something that the government can achieve singlehandedly, it needs engagement and collaboration with the sector if we are to deliver on our programme and it needs honest debate to address the challenges that lie ahead.
Cat Griffith-Williams, CEO, Constructing Excellence in Wales, said:
The Welsh built Environment is an innovative and interesting sector, which is central to Wales’ foundational economy, providing essential support for the well-being of all of us. I am delighted to have secured a partnership contract with Welsh Government and am passionate about working with industry stakeholders, Welsh Government Ministers and officials to represent the construction sector in Wales. This more formalised arrangement clearly demonstrates the importance of the sector to the Economic Mission of Wales. CEWales has a long-standing, reputable legacy of providing professional specialist construction advice; we are passionate to support Welsh Ministers to deliver Welsh Government priorities across the Welsh construction sector, gathering real-time market intelligence, articulating and engaging with the wider Welsh construction sector.