When I talk to young people across South Wales about their futures, I often hear the same assumption: if you want an exciting career, you need to leave Wales. It's an understandable mindset, but it is also increasingly outdated, particularly in one sector that is quietly rewriting the rules.
The compound semiconductor industry in South Wales is creating globally significant careers. Through apprenticeships, alongside a range of other pathways, it’s offering young people a route into those careers without requiring them to leave their home communities.
National Apprenticeship Week provides an ideal opportunity to challenge some long-held assumptions about career progression and location. The traditional narrative suggests that ambition and staying local are mutually exclusive. The reality in South Wales today tells a very different story.
Consider the facts. The compound semiconductor cluster in South Wales currently employs around 3,000 people, with projections pointing toward 6,000 jobs by 2030. These are not ordinary manufacturing roles. The average salary in the cluster is £67,765. Semiconductor careers offer higher earnings across all age groups, and critically, 87% of cluster employees live in Wales. These are people building international careers while remaining part of their local communities.
What makes this particularly exciting is that many of these roles are accessible without requiring the traditional university route. While we value degree pathways, Wales offers excellent progression routes through to PhD level through a variety of entry points, including apprenticeships.
Apprenticeships in the semiconductor sector offer something unique: the opportunity to earn while you learn, to develop practical skills in real-world settings, and to build professional networks from day one. Rather than accumulating student debt, apprentices provide the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in cutting-edge technologies, from silicon carbide and gallium nitride to photonics and power electronics. These are the materials and processes that will power electric vehicles, enable 5G networks, and support the transition to net zero.
But access to these roles only work if young people know these opportunities exist. One of our biggest challenges is not a lack of talent; it is a lack of awareness. Many young people and their teachers simply do not know that South Wales is home to a world-leading semiconductor cluster.
That is why our work at CSconnected has a big focus of raising awareness for young people around the career opportunities available within the sector. Through our Sparking STEM Futures programme, we are reaching thousands of learners across South Wales. In 2026, we will work with partners including iungo, Techniquest, EESW STEM Cymru, University of South Wales, Wild Connect and Oriel Science to bring semiconductor learning to life in schools.
This is about more than inspiration. It is about equipping young people with the skills and pathways needed to access high-value careers in Wales. We are also investing in teacher CPD, ensuring educators can embed semiconductor learning into classroom delivery, building a sustainable talent pipeline.
What I find most encouraging is the diversity of people engaging with these pathways. In our recent outreach, 49% of student participants were female, challenging outdated stereotypes about who belongs in engineering. We are also seeing growing interest from career changers who recognise the opportunities semiconductors offer.
For young people considering their options during National Apprenticeship Week, the message is clear: staying local does not mean thinking small. The South Wales semiconductor cluster offers a range of pathways into working with technologies with global impact, opportunities to collaborate with international partners, ultimately building a resilient, well-paid and future-proof career.
The personal benefits of staying local should not be underestimated either. Building a career in South Wales means staying close to family and friends, having access to affordable housing, and enjoying a quality of life that would be difficult to replicate in larger cities. It means being able to put down roots while still reaching for the sky professionally.
The companies operating in this cluster are not small local firms with limited ambitions. They are global businesses with operations and customers around the world. Working for them means being part of international supply chains, contributing to cutting-edge R&D, and developing skills that are transferable across continents. The difference is that you get to do all of this while living in Wales.
South Wales is building a future-ready workforce for a globally significant industry, and apprenticeships are central to that effort. They offer young people a clear, supported route into high-value careers that combine global relevance with local stability.
The opportunity is here. The pathways are clear. And the future is being built right now, in South Wales, by people who chose to stay local and go far.
