 The Welsh Government has announced more than £100,000 to strengthen the childcare sector in Wales and to support the delivery of its 30 hours of free early education and childcare. The additional money will be used to increase the number of childcare places available across Wales, including in Swansea – which is one of the seven local authorities chosen to work with the Welsh Government to pilot the new childcare offer from September 2017. Rebecca Evans AM said: “I am pleased that the City and County of Swansea has been chosen to pilot the Welsh Government’s childcare offer. Parents in Gower tell me that access to flexible, high quality and affordable childcare is a priority for them. “This newly announced funding will help create new childcare places, and will assist childcare businesses to manage their finances and ensure they are able to access more targeted support from the Welsh Government’s business support service, Business Wales.”  Rebecca Evans AM, Assembly Member for Gower, is welcoming the announcement that Swansea will benefit from the Welsh Government's Local Transport Network Fund. This year’s funding will focus on improving bus reliability and reducing journey times by improving accessibility, congestion and integration between modes of transport. Rebecca Evans said: “I am delighted that Swansea will receive a million pounds in funding for Strategic Bus Corridors and Public Transport Hubs. “The scheme will deliver a series of enhancements to improve highway network efficiency for areas that are often congested by peak hour traffic. “This Welsh Government funding will benefit communities across the City and County by easing pressure on the system, and will be an important step in securing an integrated transport network.” Notes: The funds will be made available immediately to the local authorities. Swansea – Strategic Bus Corridors & Public Transport Hubs - £1,000,000 The scheme will deliver a series of enhancements to improve highway network efficiency for areas that are often congested by peak hour traffic. These measures will serve to improve journey time reliability for bus public transport journeys and support the bus hubs concept. The hubs will promote improved integration between modes, and signifies the first steps in drawing together a network of transport options to begin formulating and realising an integrated transport system for Swansea and South West Wales. The scheme will deliver improvements to satellite bus interchanges, to relieve pressure on the Swansea City Bus Station as the bus network expands and demand increases, reduce journey times and strengthen interchange of services across the network; ease of transfer on the public transport network will be key to its success. The bus corridors benefiting from this funding will be of particular importance in the context of City Centre redevelopment scheduled to begin in 2018 and the population and development growth set out in the emerging Local Development Plan.  Rebecca Evans AM, Assembly Member for Gower, will be holding an advice surgery on Thursday September 14th, between 9.30am - 10.30am, at St John's Church Hall, Gowerton. If you have any problems or concerns, please come along to explore how Rebecca may be able to help. No appointment necessary. The latest Labour Market Statistics show another steady performance for Wales, with unemployment down to 4.3%.
In the Assembly, the Labour Welsh Government is committed to creating the infrastructure for business to prosper and grow, and the economic conditions that will result in the high quality jobs that people want and need. One way we are doing this is through support for small business. It is no exaggeration to say that small businesses are the backbone of our local economy, and can be the hubs of our local communities. Across Gower there is a very strong presence of small, independent businesses, and I want to see this develop and grow. We can do this by backing start-ups. Nearly 2,000 Welsh start-ups have now benefited from over £15.5m of Welsh Government-backed loans aimed at getting new businesses off the ground. Small business often struggle to access affordable finance and the right mentoring support. Since the fund was established in Wales in October 2013, it has provided support and loans to 1,943 new and early stage Welsh businesses spanning a wide range of sectors, with an average lending amount of around £8,000 per company. This means that over the last 4 years an average of 2 new Welsh businesses a day have benefitted from funding from the Start Up Loan Company. Backing apprenticeships is another way in which we can help businesses thrive, whilst giving people the chance of a rewarding and skilled career. This summer, the Welsh Government has helped to support 1,000 new apprenticeship vacancies for people of all ages across Wales. The vacancies, posted on the Apprenticeship Matching Service on the Careers Wales website, offer young people and adults the chance to secure an exciting career in a wide range of disciplines including ICT, creative industries, construction and STEM, where skill shortages are particularly prevalent. Apprenticeships are a key investment for employers who can train their workforce in the specialist skills they need within their organisation. If you would like to know more about support for small business and start-ups, get in touch.  I'm holding a Coffee Morning to raise money for Macmillan. When 1pm - 3pm on 29 September 2017 Where 9 Pontardulais Road Gorseinon Swansea SA4 4FE Other info Please come and join me at my constituency office for coffee, cake and a chat to help support Macmillan! If you plan on coming along (any time between 1pm and 3pm), please let me know as space is limited. Thank you! RSVP rebecca.evans@assembly.wales or call 01792 899081  Gower's Assembly Member, Rebecca Evans, has today congratulated pupils who are receiving their GCSE results. Across Wales, this year’s results show that 62.8% of all learners, including early entry candidates, achieved A*-C grades. Results at A* have remained stable, and there have been improvements in the summer results at A*-C in large entry subjects such as English Literature, History, Geography, and Welsh as a Second Language. Rebecca Evans AM said: "I would like to congratulate all our Gower pupils who are receiving their GCSE results today. "This year has seen the reform of GSCEs in six subjects - English Language, Welsh Language, English Literature, Welsh Literature, Mathematics Numeracy and Mathematics. Pupils and staff have dealt admirably with the changes which, alongside the development of a new curriculum and new approach to professional teaching and leadership, will raise standards in schools."  Rebecca Evans AM, Assembly Member for Gower, will be holding an advice surgery on Friday August 25th, between 9.30am - 10.30am, at her constituency office - 9 Pontarddulais Road, Gorseinon. If you have any problems or concerns, please come along to explore how Rebecca may be able to help. No appointment necessary.  Rebecca Evans, Assembly Member for Gower, is sending a message of congratulations to the students receiving their A-Level results today, and has paid tribute to the staff who taught them. This year's haul of A*-C grades is the highest since 2009. 75.3% gained grade A*-C, and 25% received grade A*-A. In maths, Welsh students have once more outperformed their counterparts in England in the attainment of A* and A*-C grades, with 19.4% gaining A* and 80.4% gaining grade A*-C. There has also been an increase at A* in biology, chemistry and physics, with overall results also going up in geography. Rebecca Evans AM said: "These results are a tribute to the hard work of the students, and to the staff who teach them. The achievements in maths and science are particularly encouraging. "Today's results also show that the focussed and concerted work that the Welsh Government has been undertaking to improve A-level results is paying dividends. Close working with regional consortia, reviewing performance measures, and ensuring that professional learning support programmes are available for staff have been the focus of much work. "I wish all our A-Level students in Gower the very best as they move on to the next phase of their lives. Many students will be delighted today and will be looking forward with excitement, but there will be others who didn't get the grades they were hoping for. For those students, it is important to remember that there is a wealth of advice and support available. There are still plenty of options open to you, and rewarding opportunities waiting to be grasped."  Rebecca Evans AM, Assembly Member for Gower, will be holding an advice surgery on Friday August 18th, between 9am - 10am, at Canolfan y bont, Pontarddulais. If you have any problems or concerns, please come along to explore how Rebecca may be able to help. No appointment necessary.  Rebecca Evans, Assembly Member for Gower, will be holding an advice surgery on Tuesday August 8th, from 11am - midday at Canolfan Gorseinon.
No appointment necessary. |
