There is a lot of bluster in the media about what will happen if we leave, what it will mean if we stay in. Well, one thing that will change if we leave is that the European Social Fund (ESF) will be dropped from Welsh Apprenticeships. So, will that mean apprenticeships will disappear? I know it will mean no more scrutiny from the ESF. They are concerned that the logo on all the paperwork, that’s right, actual paper, is the right one. I mean to say, will they really stop a funding stream if a logo is not quite straight, or happens to be the old one? If we leave, do we care? If we stay, we will have to comply with these persnickety silly little details in order to access money, that we contribute to the EU, and have to jump through hoops to get back.
If we leave then maybe the Welsh government will follow their own advice and reduce their carbon footprint and go digital. The paperwork we have to do is quite extraordinary. At least in England, digital signatures are accepted. I deal with funding on both sides of the border and in a quite unique position of being able to compare them. And I can say that the Welsh System is quite draconian and not exactly supportive of small entrepreneurial providers such as us. Vote Leave, vote for simpler systems and the ability to fund our own apprenticeships.