Welsh Education Minister Jane Hutt has visited Newport High School in Bettws to outline her spending priorities for the draft Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills budget which stands at over £2billion in 2010/11.
In addition to allocating significant funding to meet the Welsh Assembly Government's One Wales commitments, the Minister has made an additional £20.5million of funding available to help those young people who have been hit hardest by the economic downturn.
Funding includes £13million to extend the Skillbuild programme and the Pathways to Apprenticeships scheme. There is also £6.7million available for the Young Person's Guarantee, which includes the Future Jobs Fund.
Other budget priorities include: £2.5million for the Assembly Government's Youth Strategy; £1.5million to provide a school counselling service for all children and young people in Wales and £1.75million to take forward the Welsh Medium Education Strategy.
Speaking at Newport High School, a Local Authority, which has received almost £15million in capital funding for school building improvements Jane Hutt said:
"It is crucial that we spend money where it's needed most. Being here in Newport, I can clearly see how our capital funding is making a real difference and is a key part of our One Wales commitment to deliver schools fit for purpose for the 21st century.
"Against a backdrop of tighter spending, this is a budget to support those young people affected by challenging economic times. I'm delighted to be able to allocate over £20million to help young people engage in the labour market by helping them complete their education and training. Assembly Government funded schemes such as Go Wales are also making a difference in helping graduates find employment.
"Funding is also still available to companies and individuals through ProAct and ReAct for those facing redundancy and unemployment. So far 110 companies and 5,500 workers have benefitted from ProAct while 8,262 people have accessed ReAct funding.
"It is essential we use our resources wisely, making sure that our pioneering education policies are properly funded to succeed. That's why I've made extra funding available to take forward our school counselling service and Welsh medium education strategy as well as the internationally renowned Foundation Phase and our commitment to tackling child poverty in Wales."
Finance Minister Andrew Davies, who also visited the school with the Minister said: "People, priorities and partnership are at the heart of this Draft Budget. We are committed to improving the quality of life for people in all parts of Wales. Over the past two years we have made good progress in delivering our pledges set out in the One Wales programme of government. Through making the most of all our resources we can continue to progress our One Wales agenda - helping protect and improve the public services that make a real difference to people's lives."
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