The skills gap is a topic that has long dominated the news agenda in Wales and is certainly not something the business community here is going to quieten down on any time soon.

An increasing number of organisations in Wales are reporting recruitment challenges and it is clear that they are struggling to find work-ready employees.

This is something that urgently needs to be addressed if Wales is to build a buoyant, sustainable economy.

Our latest Quarterly Economic Survey found that nearly two thirds of businesses (64.7 per cent) were experiencing trouble recruiting – a trend which has been consistently high since early 2014.

Similarly, a recent report from Broomfield & Alexander found that growth in the Welsh manufacturing industry is declining due to a lack of skills training for the sector in schools, and more than a third of the Welsh population lacks the necessary skills to thrive in the digital era, according to the charity Go.On UK.

With so many businesses reporting difficulties in finding skilled staff, it is time for us to establish better links between the public, private and academic sectors.

The Business in the Community Business Class programme, funded by the Welsh Government and delivered by Careers Wales, is aiming to address these concerns and build lasting partnerships between businesses and schools in Wales in a bid to develop talented employees for the future.

The programme was launched in Wales during the 2013/14 academic year and it provides three year partnerships between businesses and secondary schools.

Since its inception, it has helped more than 3,000 young people in Wales gain career experience in an attempt to close the skills gap nationwide.

With 13 partnerships already built up across Wales so far including D?r Cymru, Principality Building Society and Arriva Trains Wales and a target of 60 by next year, the scale and ambition of this project becomes apparent.

Interested businesses are encouraged to come forward; the onus is now on them to realise the potential of linking with the academic sector in order to train the next generation of skilled workers.

We have a great wealth of young talent in Wales and some of the most innovative businesses in the UK are situated here, but linking these together appears to be the final challenge in combatting the ongoing skills gap.

As Secretary of State Stephen Crabb put it during his recent speech on devolution: “the world won't wait for Wales". By taking heed now and utilising schemes such as Business Class, we can stem the growth of the skills gap and take the crucial next step in the economic progression of Wales – something that I think all businesses would be more than happy to be involved in.