‘North Wales Young Talent Academy’ to Help Boost Skills and Provide Business Experience

A new academy aiming to help boost skills and provide first hand experiences of businesses in North Wales is to launch.

The North Wales Young Talent Academy is looking for people aged 18-30 to join a 15-month programme to boost skills and succession planning in the workplace.

The initiative forms part of the North Wales Business Academy, a £4.4million European Social Fund (ESF) project involving Wrexham Glyndwr University, Bangor University, Coleg Cambria and Grwp Llandrillo Menai.

The Passport to Excellence in Management course involves a set day at the OpTIC Technology Centre in St Asaph once a month, and flexible online learning.

Those selected will partake in sessions on sales, social media, strategic thinking, global best practice, leadership, digital futures, marketing and other topics, as well as gaining fresh experience with mentors in their field.

Lecturer and business owner Gaenor Wyn Roberts will coordinate the programme.

She said: “The North Wales Young Talent Academy is an innovative project designed to meet the needs of employers in developing, promoting and retaining new talent within the workplace.

“We plan to equip talented employees aged 18-30 with the knowledge, experience and skills needed to succeed in today’s competitive business environment.”

Gaenor, from Abergele, added: “This will be achieved through learning which is motivational, engaging and challenging, and which reflects the needs of local Welsh towns and communities in improving the value of the economy whilst embracing and responding to national and global changes and trends.”

Sessions will be delivered from a practical perspective and will include visits and first hand experiences of businesses in North Wales and beyond.

The learners will achieve a tailored Level 4 qualification, which will be celebrated at an award ceremony next summer.

The North Wales Business Academy was launched last summer by Wales’ Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government, Mark Drakeford.

The scheme aims to support business growth and competitiveness by delivering university-accredited management qualifications to more than 1,000 employees over three years.

Chris Jones, head of North Wales Business School at Wrexham Glyndwr, said: “All four partners recognise the paramount importance of qualifications. However, we all agree that to create a positive legacy for the region, knowledge and skills must be utilised rather than summarised in a certificate on the wall.

“This project will deliver leadership and management training the right way, and the North Wales Young Talent Academy is a key part of that.”

Supported by £2.8 million of EU funds, the project will enable employers to access subsidies of up to 70% for training and staff development opportunities in areas including financial management, sales and marketing, business strategy, governance and operational skills and management.

Iwan Thomas, regional skills and employment coordinator for the North Wales Economic Ambition Board, added: “Having a collaborative approach amongst providers further demonstrates how working as part of a ‘Team North Wales’ approach, our collective vision for a confident, cohesive region with sustainable economic growth, capitalising on the success of high value economic sectors and its connection to the economies of the Northern Powerhouse and Ireland can move closer towards becoming a reality.”

For more information on the project visit www.northwaleseab.co.uk or www.glyndwr.ac.uk. Follow @NWBizAcademy on Twitter.

For more on the North Wales Young Talent Academy, call Gaenor Roberts or Rachel Allen on 01978 293375 or email gaenor.roberts@glyndwr.ac.uk