A NATIONAL initiative to help adults in employment access lifelong learning and training opportunities is being piloted in North Wales.

The scheme is being administered by Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, through the Welsh Government’s Personal Learning Account programme.

Free courses are available to people over 19, they must be employed and earning an annual salary of less than £26,000.

The aim of the PLA programme is to remove barriers to learning and upskilling among adults and address the rising skill shortages. It runs over two years with a range of courses available at Grŵp Llandrillo Menai’s campuses across the engineering, construction and ICT sectors.

Dafydd Evans, Chief Executive Officer of Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, said: “We are extremely proud to have been selected by the Welsh Government as a partner to deliver this pilot programme.

“The PLA is a transformational project, which is already helping to empower people with the skills they need to achieve their career goals, either to progress and apply for new jobs within their existing career or to follow a different path. Since its launch in September 2019, 39 eligible adults have applied for courses at Grŵp Llandrillo Menai.

One participant, Andy Lovett, currently works for the Department of Work and Pensions. He enrolled on a four-day Counterbalance Fork Lift Truck Training course at the new Centre for Infrastructure, Skills and Technology (CIST) on Coleg Menai’s Llangefni Campus.

Andy said: “It is a brilliant scheme. If you are eligible, you can get training for free. It really helps you to diversify your employability options."

Contact Grŵp Llandrillo Menai on 01492 542338 to speak to their career advisers, email to changeyourstory@gllm.ac.uk or call Working Wales on 0800 028 4844.