The assembly has approved plans for the Wales Millennium Centre

Following on from last month's go-ahead for the �104m Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay, it is a clear signal of the assembly's desire to place the arts at the top of its agenda.

Called Creative Future: Cymru Creadigol, the strategy is being is launched at the Pop Factory, a new multi-media centre sited in the heart of one of Wales's traditional industrial valleys - the Rhondda.

The minister said the venue had been chosen to reflect two of the strategy's main themes - young people and communities.

"The Pop Factory is not only an entertainment venue for young people - it is a source of employment for local people," said Ms Randerson.

"It is also a place where new Welsh talent can be showcased and is a successful example of how the creative industries can both entertain and contribute effectively to the economy of Wales."

The Liberal Democrat minister in the assembly administration said there were six main themes to the all-encompassing strategy.

Wales has a rich past and a wealth of present day talent but it still has an opportunity to achieve a new cultural transformation

Welsh Culture Minister Jenny Randerson

They were communities; cultural diversity; the creative industries; emphasis on evidence based policy making and the development of our professional arts and artists.

"My strategy seeks to build an environment that supports this type of entrepreneurialism, and I am confident that it does," she added.

Key to implementing the strategy will be the support of the Arts Council for Wales which only days earlier had been awarded a budget increase of 23% from the Welsh Assembly for the next financial year.

Also vital will be the cultural forum, Cymru'n Creu, which was launched a year ago to bring together sectors like the arts, tourism and sport.

The minister stressed that culture cannot be parcelled up separately from the rest of society.

"Wales has a rich past and a wealth of present day talent but it still has an opportunity to achieve a new cultural transformation.

"The purpose of Creative Future is to show how cross-cutting cultural development is," she said

Major events

She also stressed the role of the Welsh Assembly in bringing the ten-year strategy to fruition.

Among the projects envisaged in Creative Future are a new sporting museum for Wales, the establishment of a a Youth Arts Fund, the restructuring of the work of film commissions in Wales, and the development of a strategy for attracting major events to Wales.

"The Welsh Assembly Government must take a lead in bringing about that transformation - in our thinking, planning and funding and, as a result, in our delivery," she said.

She added that the development of the creative industries has an economic impact, as does encouraging cultural tourism.

"The strategy encourages the cultural assembly sponsored public bodies to work closely with the Welsh Development Agency and the Wales Tourist Board to optimise the economic potential," she said.