Cardiff and Vale University Health Board has become the latest organisation to sign the Cardiff Commitment Employer Pledge. 

• Martin Driscoll, Cllr Chris Weaver and Len Richards

The aim of the Cardiff Commitment is to ensure that all young people in Cardiff secure a job, so that they reach their potential, and contribute to the economic growth of the city. 

Alongside Cardiff Council, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is the largest public sector employer in the region to sign the employer pledge. 

The pledge supports the commitment of the public, private and third sectors to work in partnership, with schools and education providers, to connect children and young people to a range of opportunities available in the world of work. 

Cardiff Council's Cabinet Member for Finance, Modernisation and Performance, Cllr Chris Weaver, said: "The Cardiff Commitment is really important to us, it is a key part of ourCapital Ambition, the document which sets out what we want to achieve. 

"Cardiff is a wonderful city, it has changed and transformed and it is one of the fastest growing cities in the UK. There are lots of jobs, there is lots of growth and there are lots of good things about Cardiff, but we know it's not perfect. 

"There is still massive inequality in the city. There are parts of the city that if they were a standalone local authority, would be the most deprived in Wales. There are people that don't get the opportunities that can come from living in a thriving and vibrant city. 

"The Cardiff Commitment is about us, as a council, along with other public and private sector employers across the city including Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, stepping up and doing something to change that. It is route into good, meaningful and well paid employment for people who need it most. 

"We are seeing the success of the Cardiff Commitment in reducing the number of young people who are not in education, employment and training, and I am delighted to see Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, a beacon public sector employer in the region, coming on board by signing the Cardiff Commitment Employer Pledge." 

There are 81 employers, mostly in the private sector, who have signed up to the Cardiff Commitment, and 160 are contributing to the scheme and are getting involved. 

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board also used the signing of the pledge as an opportunity to launch its Apprenticeship Academy. 

Chief Executive of Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Len Richards, said: "I am proud to sign the Cardiff Commitment pledge and to launch our Apprenticeship Academy. 

"In 1980, I left school at 16 and became an apprentice in production and engineering. It was something that set me up for life. You learn what the workplace is really like; you get good guidance, good support and good education. It was a really strong platform for my career. 

"There was a time when I thought that apprenticeships were disappearing, but they are coming back, and we are really proud to be a part of it." 

By signing the pledge, the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board has made a commitment to:

•                     Work in partnership with schools to raise the awareness of career opportunities within the health system

•                     Promote a structured approach to provision of unpaid work experience opportunities

•                     Promote and advertise entry level apprenticeships through the Apprenticeship Academy

•                     Work collaboratively with children and young people to have a voice in future health service redesigns

Cabinet Member for Investment and Development, Cllr Russell Goodway, said: "The public sector is such an important part of the economy; we want to ensure that young people have a full appreciation of the opportunities it can offer them. 

"Cardiff and Vale University Health Board signing the Cardiff Commitment Employer Pledge will encourage more public bodies, and more private sector employers to become a part of this initiative. 

"This will provide more opportunities for young people to develop their careers at an early stage, and to introduce good quality jobs in some of the most deprived communities we have here in Wales. 

"We are delighted to have Cardiff and Vale University Health Board with us as a partner in the Cardiff Commitment. The pledge that it has signed will help us drive forward this initiative."