news and blogs Archives

The Welsh Government has opened applications for the Coetiroedd Bach Grant. The National Lottery Heritage Fund are delivering the scheme on behalf of the Welsh Government. This grant will create 100 ‘Tiny Forests’ up to the end of March 2025. These woodlands must have the potential to be part of the National Forest for Wales network in the future. This means woodlands that: are well-managed are accessible to people give local communities the opportunity to...

Entries are now open for The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Excellence and Innovation Awards 2023! The Awards recognise ground-breaking innovations and best practices in Engineering, Science, and Technology. In 2023 the global community of entrepreneurs, experts, and creators are invited to build an ecosystem that puts measurable impact at the core of innovation and aims to celebrate the Engineers using science and technology to find solutions to the biggest challenges humankind is currently...

Sexual harassment is part of a wider, relentless culture of sexual violence and misogyny. It is not a low-level act that should be accepted as an inevitable part of everyday life. As a global issue, it is dealt with differently across the world. We have the opportunity to tackle this issue head-on to make Wales the safest place to work, live and socialise. Wales TUC, working with Welsh Women's Aid, has published a toolkit on...

The King’s Awards for Enterprise are for outstanding achievement by UK businesses in the categories of: innovation international trade sustainable development promoting opportunity through social mobility If you win you’ll be: invited to a Royal reception presented with the award at your company by one of The King’s representatives, a Lord-Lieutenant able to fly The King’s Awards flag at your main office, and use the emblem on your marketing materials (for example, on your packaging...

Qualifications Wales (QW) review qualifications in Wales to make sure that they meet the needs of learners, to prepare them to succeed in an ever-changing world. After recently reviewing qualifications within the Travel, Tourism, Hospitality and Catering sectors they found that the current post-16 Hospitality and Catering qualifications are not fully meeting the needs of learners or the industry. This sector generates billions for the economy and employs thousands of people in Wales. QW need...

Wildlife and rural crime can come in many forms such as the theft of agricultural equipment, devastating livestock offences and the destruction of wildlife and their habitats. Rural theft alone was valued to cost £1.3 million in 2021. The joint strategy, between the Welsh Government and Wales’ four police forces, will be key in the fight against such offences. A co-ordinated and strategic approach will be central to the success of the strategy which is...

The Minister for Education and Welsh Language has announced a new bursary and grant to increase the number of teachers who can speak Welsh. A new £5,000 bursary will be available to teachers who gained Qualified Teacher Status from August 2020 onwards, and who have completed three years of teaching Welsh or through the medium of Welsh. The bursary will initially be available until Autumn 2028 to assess its success in encouraging teachers to enter...

The Welsh Government first signalled its intent to ban or restrict the use of several commonly littered single-use plastic products when it consulted on its proposals in October 2020. These bans were being developed in response to growing concerns over the damaging impact of plastic pollution on our wildlife and environment. Over 3,500 responses were received, the majority of which were in favour of introducing the new legislation and many urged the Welsh Government to...

The Welsh Government’s trade mission programme has supported Welsh companies to do business across the world. Case in point, the recent trade mission to the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco was attended by a record number of Welsh businesses. Accompanying them was the Minister for Economy, Vaughan Gething, who said: "In Wales, we’re serious about games and gaming technology. We support a thriving community of innovative businesses, making the most of local talent to...

A new plan to boost business in Wales, developed by Innovate UK, in partnership with Welsh Government, has been launched, paving the way for a strengthened innovation economy. UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK and Welsh Government commit to a joint plan to help grow the Welsh economy. Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Welsh Minister for the Economy and the CEO of Innovate UK, representing the first MoU agreed with a devolved government. The plan...