In 2026 we will have the Welsh Senedd elections. It promises to be quite an interesting one with, if current polls are to be believed, a shift in the power base from Welsh Labour and the Tories towards Plaid Cymru and Reform. Either way, given the amount of infrastructure decisions that are made in the Senedd it’s important that CECA Wales engages with all political parties to make our case for infrastructure.
Our board has agreed our public affairs strategy ahead of the 2026 Senedd elections as we seek to hold politicians to account. As part of this process we are launching our “Policy Asks Manifesto” which sets out CECA Wales’ expectations ahead of the 2026 Senedd elections. We have already issued this to political parties and, over the next few months, we will be using various media to get the message out.
Here’s the links to take you to our manifesto :
- Welsh language version – http://bit.ly/4mTjrZh
- English language version – http://bit.ly/3VaAOZD
And here’s another link if you’d like to access flipbook versions : Publications – CECA
So, what will we be focusing on? It’s all in the manifesto but if you want a little summary, read on.
We’ve set out the key challenges for the Civil Engineering Sector which include :
- no visible pipeline of public sector infrastructure work opportunities in Wales.
- a disproportionate impact of negative public sector procurement practices on SMEs.
- a lack of parity of esteem between academic and vocational attainment.
- poor positioning and marketing of the construction industry within the education sector
- a lack of provision for civil engineering trades skills within Wales’ Further Education system.
- poor use of social value and decarbonising opportunities via public sector contracts.
As you’d expect we have structured our manifesto “asks” around our 5 core pillars.
When it comes to “creating work opportunities”, amongst other things, we are calling for the next Welsh Government to ensure that there is a robust system in place for workflow data, for public and private investment, to be regularly shared with businesses and to provide more funding certainty for longer-term infrastructure programmes. For some reason public sector clients continue to fail to recognise the importance of this data for contractor businesses to plan ahead and to invest in their people. This is despite continuing statements from politicians of how important economic development is to Wales, especially the foundation economy. There’s clearly a disconnect here!
The need for a “skilled workforce” is ever present and we are calling for a review into the provision of apprenticeships for civil engineering trades via FE colleges and introduce improvements based on business needs as the current system is not fit for purpose and continues to let young people down. We also need to secure the long-term sustainability of our innovative workforce development programmes by supporting our civil engineering training hub pilots in the north and south into the future.
Despite various efforts across Wales, solutions to address the shortage of skilled tradespeople, particularly civil engineering operatives and plant operatives, have had limited long-term success. In response to this skills environment, we are in the process of establishing two civil engineering training hubs, one in the south of Wales and another in the north. These hubs will provide a clear career path for those pursuing more vocational roles, offering work tasters and work ready experiences for potential new entrants, supporting social value opportunities and enabling and providing accredited training tailored to core civil engineering tasks. The modern training facilities will replicate real working environments, enabling trainees to gain practical experience in tasks such as excavation, drainage, and structural concreting, using real materials, tools and machinery. The hub in the south, based near Bridgend, will be delivered through a partnership involving CECA Wales, Bridgend College, CITB, and industry employers, with additional sponsorship sought to ensure long-term sustainability. The hub in the north will be employer-led. We’re not even asking politicians for funding! We’re offering them a solution to this problem, we just need their support via the education system and a new Welsh curriculum which fits in so neatly to what we’re proposing. What’s not to like?
And following on from this, the really big challenge for us all is “creating a talent pipeline”. We want to see the reinforcement and promotion of the role of businesses in the delivery of new vocational qualifications in Wales and the promotion of the scope of these new qualifications and the opportunities available to young people in Wales across the built environment. This needs a significant cultural change from an education sector which feels so far removed from the realities of preparing young people for life in the workplace. The lack of a parity of esteem between academic and vocational approaches remains a tough nut to crack and those who have lived all their lives in the “education bubble” need a short, sharp shock to get them out of their bubble. We expect the next Welsh Government to lead on this.
And finally we want to “create a better environment for all” by setting out a consistent methodology for carbon measurement on infrastructure projects and the targeted reductions that should be applied as well as ensuring a consistency in social value requirements across all public sector contracts in Wales.
As a sector, we have solutions to all the challenges facing the sector. We just need politicians to step up, embrace these solutions and work with us to to create a better business environment.
Any thoughts you have on our manifesto and any aspect of our approach to the 2026 Senedd elections will be gratefully received!