Boots Hearingcare, and its predecessor David Ormerod Hearing Centres Ltd have been at the site in Llandudno since 2012, when there were just over 20 employees working at the Support Office. 

Six years on and following Welsh Government funding there are now 90 people working in the offices, supporting a network of 500 Boots Hearingcare centres across the UK.

The Support Office is very much at the centre of the Boots Hearingcare business, and is a valued source of employment in the local area. The refurbished offices, which have been transformed by local companies, now not only have additional desk space that allows the business to recruit more people from the region, but also provide an even better working environment and employee experience for existing colleagues.

Economy Secretary Ken Skates said:

I am delighted that Welsh Government support has helped to expand the Boots Hearingcare offices in Llandudno, maintaining their presence in the town centre and helping to protect and create jobs.  

Our support for Boots Hearingcare is absolutely in line with our Economic Action Plan which seeks to support the development and adoption of new technologies and spread the fruits of economic prosperity much more evenly across Wales.

I wish the company and the workers every success in its improved and expanded home.

Rob Skedge, Managing Director of Boots Hearingcare, said:

The investment from the Welsh Government not only shows their commitment to supporting local business, but also helping it grow. We are delighted to be able to further expand our team at the Boots Hearingcare Support Office and look forward to our future here in Llandudno.

Guests at the event were given the opportunity to find out more about the renovations work by taking a tour of the refurbished offices. They were also invited to hear from workers at Boots Hearingcare Support Office about how the changes have had a positive impact on their working experience.

During the ceremony, Ken Skates, Cabinet Secretary for Economy & Transport, National Assembly Government, unveiled a plaque to commemorate the official reopening of the Support Office.

After also attracting CAF here to build our first modern train manufacturing facility, the Welsh Government is responding to the clear demands of major rail companies to establish an integrated ‘Global Centre of Rail Excellence’.

It would offer a bespoke innovation accelerator, rolling stock and infrastructure testing, storage, decommissioning, maintenance and servicing asset to the industry and the wider supply-chain.  

Transport Secretary Ken Skates said:

“Last year, Welsh Government and CAF announced the first modern train manufacturing facility to be built here. The factory is nearing completion, and trains for use in Wales will soon be built there.

“Earlier this month I announced details of the new, transformative, low carbon Wales and Borders rail service.  

“From a standing start a few years ago, Wales is now developing as a home for our domestic rail industry.  There is more we can do. I want our country recognised across the UK and Europe as a major hub. Our Economic Action Plan signalled a new approach to creating opportunities for developing our economy. I’m now signalling the next chapter of implementation of that plan.”

A number of potential sites for the centre are still being researched, but one is coming out as the preferred option – the mothballed open cast mine in Nant Helen, on the Powys and Neath Port Talbot border, and the adjacent and operational coal-washery site in Onllwyn.

Ken Skates added:

“This area, at the top of the Dulais Valley, has been reliant on the coal industry for generations. With this era drawing to a close, there is great potential for investment drawing on existing and new skills.

“This is also a project that could make an important contribution to the work of the Valleys Taskforce, providing good quality jobs and the skills to do them.

“I have therefore instructed Welsh Government officials to move to the next stage of business case development, which will involve continued and close partnership working.  We estimate a bespoke facility like this will cost £100m to deliver, and it is not a project that can proceed without local support, private sector investment and the commitment of manufacturers, rolling stock companies, network operators and a range of other stakeholders to back it now and into the future.

“I’m not in the business of over-promising and under-delivering. But I am saying that if we can consolidate the very considerable levels of enthusiasm communicated to us, we will commit our best endeavours to the next stages of this project – working towards the completion of this exciting, integrated GLOBAL centre of RAIL excellence.”

The pupils, all part of the Seren Network, will join over 1500 other students from 126 countries and 50 US states on Yale’s Young Global Scholars Programme (YYGS), at Yale University’s New Haven campus in the US, as part a new scholarship opportunity made possible through the Seren Network.

Education Secretary, Kirsty Williams, will join the first group of pupils from Wales to travel to Yale’s New Haven campus as she looks to build on links already made with the university through Seren.

The Education Secretary will also travel to both Harvard University and MIT in Boston to discuss new opportunities and collaborations.

This opportunity has been made available to Welsh students thanks to a jointly funded scholarship between Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS) and the Welsh Government. The flight costs have been supported through sponsorship by businesses in Wales who are all rooting for the Welsh students.

The students will each spend two weeks at Yale’s New Haven campus, where they will take part in a rigorous academic programme led by world-leading academics in one of six areas, including International Affairs & Security, Frontiers of Science & Technology and Politics, Law & Economics.

The partnership has been established to broaden the academic horizons of Welsh students, giving them a taste of university life in the States and the opportunity to make strong university applications when they return.

Kirsty Williams said:

“It is a huge success story for Seren that we’ve been able to broker a partnership which will see Yale’s renowned Young Global Scholars programme made accessible to students across Wales.

“I’m proud to be joining our first ever group of students to take part in this life-changing summer programme and look forward to making new links with other universities as we try to open new doors for many more of our students.

“I want every pupil in every school in every part of Wales to know that if you work hard then no academic opportunity is off-limits. I think this is a perfect example of what is possible and I want to thank all the sponsors involved in making this happen.”

This partnership has been made possible through Liam Rahman, a Yale University alumnus born and raised in Carmarthenshire. A Co-Director at E-Qual Recruitment Education in Cardiff and West Wales, Liam is an avid supporter of The Seren Network and has been the driving force throughout the partnership. E-Qual Recruitment Education is a headline sponsor of the partnership, having raised in excess of £10,000 to fund the cost of students’ flights to and from the US.

Liam said:

“Since returning to Wales last year, it’s been a real privilege to work with high potential Welsh students through the Seren Network and to be an interviewer for Yale’s Undergraduate Admissions Office in Wales through Yale’s Alumni Schools Committee.

“Over the past few months, I’ve worked to build the relationship between Yale Young Global Scholars and The Seren Network, which has culminated in this fantastic partnership and scholarship opportunity.

“This scholarship will deliver life-changing opportunities to some of Wales’s brightest sixth formers and gives Yale the opportunity to access some of Wales’s very best talent.”

The International Nuclear Pool Chairmen’s Conference takes place once every three years and is traditionally held in London. However this year the organisers have taken the decision to hold the conference in Wales.  

“The Welsh Government recognises the role of Nuclear Power in a low carbon energy mix and is very aware of the huge economic opportunities offered to Wales by this important sector. We are working hard to build our skills base and develop the capacity of our supply chains so that we can maximise opportunities in the sector both today and into the future.

I am pleased that our ongoing work to build capacity and attract investment is recognised within the industry and proud that the organisers of the International Nuclear Pool Chairmen’s Conference have chosen Wales as their first location outside of London.”

“Given the importance of nuclear to the Welsh economy and its heritage across the region, it seemed very fitting to host the International Nuclear Pool Chairmen’s Conference in Wales this year. The strength of the skills, knowledge and innovation in Wales is critical, not just for the country’s growth but for the sector’s global expansion.”

The International Nuclear Pool Chairmen’s Conference 2018 is taking place between 18th and 22nd June with events held at the Celtic Manor and National Museum of Wales, Cardiff. It is organised by the Nuclear Risks Insurers Ltd which acts as the UK’s insurance market’s underwriting agent for all matters of nuclear insurance.

The International Nuclear Pool Chairmen’s Conference takes place once every three years and is traditionally held in London. However this year the organisers have taken the decision to hold the conference in Wales.  

“The Welsh Government recognises the role of Nuclear Power in a low carbon energy mix and is very aware of the huge economic opportunities offered to Wales by this important sector. We are working hard to build our skills base and develop the capacity of our supply chains so that we can maximise opportunities in the sector both today and into the future.

I am pleased that our ongoing work to build capacity and attract investment is recognised within the industry and proud that the organisers of the International Nuclear Pool Chairmen’s Conference have chosen Wales as their first location outside of London.”

“Given the importance of nuclear to the Welsh economy and its heritage across the region, it seemed very fitting to host the International Nuclear Pool Chairmen’s Conference in Wales this year. The strength of the skills, knowledge and innovation in Wales is critical, not just for the country’s growth but for the sector’s global expansion.”

The International Nuclear Pool Chairmen’s Conference 2018 is taking place between 18th and 22nd June with events held at the Celtic Manor and National Museum of Wales, Cardiff. It is organised by the Nuclear Risks Insurers Ltd which acts as the UK’s insurance market’s underwriting agent for all matters of nuclear insurance.