Skip to main content

LARGE FIRMS BENEFIT MOST FROM PRO-ACT

Whilst I have had my suspicions, I had always wondered whether Pro-Act had been geared towards large firms or small firms.

Finally, we have the answer, that to a roundabout reply given by John Griffiths to a written question from David Melding.

According to the Deputy Minister, “a total of £5.7m has been committed to companies in Wales with under 250 employees. This is around 63% of the total companies who have been approved for ProAct and 32% of the funding.”

In other words, 68 per cent of the funding allocated under Pro-Act has gone to companies employing more than 250 people i.e. over £12 million has gone to large firms - most of whom can afford to pay for the training themselves.

Indeed, Corus has received £1.1. million to train workers which it admitted were not under threat of redundancy.

Therefore, large firms in Wales have received over twice as much support as SMEs (small to medium enterprises) under the Assembly’s ‘flagship’ programme against the recession.

Compare this with the £7 million which the Assembly Government decided to pay out to extend rate relief in Wales last September.

So much for supporting the small firm sector in Wales during the recession.

Comments

Anonymous said…
But this is in line with their declared policy Dylan -remember the inverted triangle
Most support to growth and larger firms sme are the at the bottom
So whats changed
Its Davids Rossers buddies get the cash
October 27, 2009 9:26 am
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE CRACHACH

Unlike me, do you consider yourself part of 'the establishment' here in Wales?  As thousands gather for the Eisteddfod in Mold this morning, they will, according to some social commentators, not be participating in the greatest cultural festivals of Europe. Instead, they will merely be bit-part players in one of the annual gatherings of the great and good of Wales.  Unkindly, this set of the movers and shakers in Welsh society is known as 'the crachach' , and constitute a social class all of their own, dominating the educational, cultural and media sectors of Wales and allegedly looking down upon any outsider with new ideas, reinforcing mediocrity and failing to see beyond the limits of their own narrow experience.  They are said to live in a comfort zone that awaits the expected invitation to the next glass of chilled chardonnay and canapés, forgetting that due to their lack of leadership and drive, Wales remains firmly rooted to the bottom of the UK prosperity league ...
30 comments
Read more

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CREATIVE CLASSES

One of my favourite academic books of the last two decades must be the “Rise of the Creative Classes” by Professor Richard Florida.  This was one of the first detailed studies of the growing group of individuals who use their creativity and mental labour to earn a living and not only included those in arts and entertainment, but also people working in science and technology as well as knowledge-based professions such as healthcare, law, business, and finance.  Fast forward to 2022 and Professor Florida has written an updated report on the creative classes although he and his team now identify a different type of individual who is taking full advantage of the growth in digital platforms, social media, and online marketplaces.  Such ‘creators’ are defined as those who use digital technology to make and publish unique creative content, whether in the form of video, film, art, music, design, text, games, or any other media that audiences can access and respond to.  They ...
Read more

THE FUTURE FOR SILICON VALLEY

During the last twenty years, there have been many academics, politicians and policymakers (including yours truly) who have looked over to the innovation developed in Silicon Valley, California and wondered if we could ever emulate that success here in Wales. Whilst the former First Minister Rhodri Morgan proposed only last week that South Wales could become the “UK’s answer to Silicon Valley”, he is not alone in the world with such a suggestion for his local area. With imitation often being the sincerest form of flattery, many others regions across the globe have tried to emulate the ‘secret sauce’ that has led to this small valley to the South East of San Francisco becoming the seedbed for world-leading companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Apple and Google. But after fifty years of success, can it maintain its position as the premier location for innovation in the World? This is a question that its own business community has recently been asking itself. This has culminated in a...
Read more