ACT welcomed a special visitor this week, with Plaid Cymru’s Heledd Fychan MS popping into its Ocean Park House headquarters in Cardiff.
Heledd met with ACT’s Managing Director, Richard Spear, during her visit to discuss the organisation’s commitment to work-based learning and development.
Heledd took a tour of the Jobs Growth Wales+ Programme with Leon Patnett, Head of Youth Engagement & Training, to see firsthand the incredible opportunities ACT is providing to young people.
Heledd also met with Ukrainian learners along with their Learning Coach, Diana Oleksiuk, to hear about the successes they have achieved despite being uprooted due to the ongoing conflict.
Talking previously about her journey as a refugee, Diana said: “It has been a really difficult time for all of us, but I do also believe that it should be a time for opportunity and to show our young people in Ukraine different cultures and improve their language skills too.
“It’s been really great to be able to do something productive with my time here and find a role (within ACT) that enables me to put my skills to use in such an appropriate and effective way, and to be able to contribute practically to the lives of others around me who are all living the same experience.”
Heledd also had the opportunity to meet with Bethan Maund, Head of Apprenticeships, to learn more about how upskilling and work-based training can be transformative not only for individual organisations but the larger professional landscape of Wales, particularly during increasing concerns about the country’s skills gap.
Bethan Maund said: “It was fantastic to welcome Heledd Fychan to ACT and for her to hear firsthand the positive impact work-based learning and apprenticeships have on our learners. We hope she came away as inspired as we are from their success stories.”
Heledd Fychan MS said: “I was really impressed by my visit to ACT and enjoyed seeing first-hand the incredible work that they do to break down barriers for young people across Wales and to put them on the best possible path for the future.
“From the wide variety of apprenticeship schemes they run to supporting young Ukrainian refugees settle in Wales and everything else in between, ACT are undoubtedly a model for how things could and should be done to ensure greater opportunities for all young people.”
