The role of women in the major growth sectors of West Wales industry is set to rise significantly over the next few years following the announcement of an ambitious new European and Welsh Government- backed programme designed to boost skills and open major new opportunities.

Many hundreds of individuals and businesses are in line to benefit from the £10.2m Agile Nation 2 project which aims to help women climb the managerial ladder and enable employers to develop more diverse and gender-balanced workforces.

The initiative, which includes specialist training and development, is intended to be of particular advantage to women and firms involved in priority growth sectors including advanced manufacturing, construction, creative industries, energy and environment, financial and professional services, food and farming, ICT, life sciences and tourism.

Chwarae Teg, the women’s development charity which has its West Wales base at Llanelli, will deliver the new programme. Its chief executive Joy Kent said: “These industries will be the powerhouses of Wales’ growth over the coming years and, as such, Agile Nation 2 will put women right at the heart of the country’s economic development.

“Many of these sectors are areas in which women are significantly under-represented at the moment, particularly at senior level. By boosting the female contribution in these fields we are not only creating new opportunities for individuals but we’re helping those industries to prosper more through reaping the rewards of having diverse workforces and diverse management teams,” she added.

Agile Nation 2’s focus on the energy sector is excellent news for West Wales women, with major projects in the region including the Swansea Bay Tidal Barrage, Milford Haven and Pembroke refineries, as well as Marine Energy Pembrokeshire and the several large wind farms.

The Chwarae Teg chief urged individual women and employers to take advantage of the newly-launched programme.

The organisation, whose core objective is to create a Wales where women achieve and prosper, hopes to build substantially on the successes of the original Agile Nation project which assisted 2,921 women and 504 businesses over a period of seven years from 2008 – 2015. The first programme also included four major pieces of research which were undertaken to further understanding of the barriers facing female progression in the workplace. This helped to shape the new programme which is just now getting underway.

Agile Nation 2 is focused specifically on helping women progress in the nine priority sectors of the Welsh economy in order to maximise their career opportunities in the future.

It is designed to help employed women of all ages and backgrounds to gain the knowledge, confidence and skills to advance their careers. It will also work with employers to attract, retain and develop talent, inspire an inclusive staff culture and improve diversity.

Agile Nation 2 will provide in-depth support and advice along with tailor-made consultancy for both individuals and businesses. This includes access to personalised workshops, accredited qualifications and one-on-one mentoring schemes. www.agilenation2.org.uk