Issue - meetings

To consider the attached report.

The Executive Board AGREED to:

(a)        Extend Form the Future’s contract for a further 12 months, from September 2017 to August 2018.

(b)        Set aside £160,000 for the academic year 2017/18 and assume a continuation of funding for a brokerage service in 2018/19 at approximately the same funding level.

(c)        Review the focus and targets for the period 2017/18 and begin contract negotiations along these lines;

(d)        Set aside £35,000 for the period January to December 2017 and assume a continuation of this into 2018 to develop Career Champions in schools.

(e)        Endorse the approach to progressing with the development of Labour Market Information to inform the Information Advice and Guidance for young people, adults, providers, parents and employers and support the work of the Local Skills Service and National Careers Service.

(f)        Begin negotiations with Cambridge Regional College to develop an outcome based activity plan that would support businesses to understand the changes in relation to apprenticeships and the levy and carry out Training Needs Analysis to help businesses to identify their skills needs.

(g)        Endorse a revised approach to how progress was measured towards the 420 apprenticeship starts and gain agreement from the Skills Funding Agency and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to this approach.

(h)        Endorse this approach to recording and monitoring the additional skills related to outcomes in the City Deal.

The Executive Board considered a report which reviewed the progress made from September 2015 to August 2016 against the skills related commitments articulated in the City Deal agreement.

Stella Cockerill, Skills Lead from the City Deal Partnership, presented the report which focussed on the following three key areas:

• a review of the performance of the Local Skills Service, facilitated by Form the Future;
• a review of progress against the skills related commitments in the City Deal;
• a review about the way progress was measured in the future.

It was noted that the skills related commitments undertaken, which were general as opposed to being focussed on STEM based growth sectors alone, included the following:
 

• creation of a locally funded skills team to work with small and medium enterprises in the area to develop training plans and act as co-ordinators to ensure training aligned with employer need;
• establishment of a skills action plan for each of the priority sectors, including identifying the apprenticeship framework offer;
• creation of locally funded adult careers teams to enhance information advice and guidance in growth sectors based on strong labour market information;
• developing labour market intelligence to inform the provision of information, advice and guidance for young people, providers, parents and employers;
• working closely with the National Careers Service local offer.
  
  

Over five years, from 2014/15, it had been agreed that the City Deal would deliver:
 

• 420 additional apprenticeships to support growth sectors;
• 50 more employers engaging with schools and colleges;
• 25 more employers engaging with traineeships;
• 150 more employers raised awareness of apprenticeships.
   

The Skills Service had undertaken one full year of delivery and an evaluation of the first year of the skills programme was appended to the report.  Stella Cockerill reported that the Service had demonstrated a good level of engagement with employers and schools, with indications to date showing that this was working and making a difference.  She highlighted that the position nationally in relation to skills and apprenticeships had changed significantly since the City Deal agreement was first made.  She made the point, in respect of growth areas, that recognition had to be given to the fact that businesses themselves would set out where they needed to grow, therefore meaning that some of the 420 additional apprenticeships would not necessarily fit into the STEM based growth sectors originally selected as priorities for the City Deal.  She added, however, that on a more wider perspective all apprenticeships still supported local economic growth.

Councillor Tim Bick, Member of the Joint Assembly, provided an update on behalf of the Assembly’s Skills Sub-Group which had operated as a sounding board in the preparation of this report and the recommendations contained within, which it supported.  He said that the report brought forward a strategic view of what was trying to be achieved and provided a model for discussing the skills thread of the City Deal as it moved forward. 

Councillor Bick reported that the City Deal had established a wider view of the Skills Service as a result  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10

To consider the attached report.

The Joint Assembly RECOMMENDED that the Executive Board:

(a)        Extends Form the Future’s contract for a further 12 months, from September 2017 to August 2018.

(b)        Sets aside £160,000 for the academic year 2017/18 and assumes a continuation of funding for a brokerage service in 2018/19 at approximately the same funding level.

(c)        Reviews the focus and targets for the period 2017/18 and begins contract negotiations along these lines;

(d)        Sets aside £35,000 for the period January to December 2017 and assumes a continuation of this into 2018 to develop Career Champions in schools.

(e)        Endorses the approach to progressing with the development of Labour Market Information to inform the Information Advice and Guidance for young people, adults, providers, parents and employers and supports the work of the Local Skills Service and National Careers Service.

(f)        Begins negotiations with Cambridge Regional College to develop an outcome based activity plan that would support businesses to understand the changes in relation to apprenticeships and the levy and carry out Training Needs Analysis to help businesses to identify their skills needs.

(g)        Endorses a revised approach to how progress was measured towards the 420 apprenticeship starts and gain agreement from the Skills Funding Agency and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to this approach.

(h)        Endorses this approach to recording and monitoring the additional skills related to outcomes in the City Deal.

The Joint Assembly considered a report which reviewed the progress made from September 2015 to August 2016 against the skills related commitments articulated in the City Deal agreement.

Stella Cockerill, Skills Lead from the City Deal Partnership, presented the report which focussed on the following three key areas:

• a review of the performance of the Local Skills Service, facilitated by Form the Future;
• a review of progress against the skills related commitments in the City Deal;
• a review about the way progress was measured in the future.

It was noted that the skills related commitments undertaken, which were general as opposed to being focussed on STEM based growth sectors alone, included the following:
 

• creation of a locally funded skills team to work with small and medium enterprises in the area to develop training plans and act as co-ordinators to ensure training aligned with employer need;
• establishment of a skills action plan for each of the priority sectors, including identifying the apprenticeship framework offer;
• creation of locally funded adult careers teams to enhance information advice and guidance in growth sectors based on strong labour market information;
• developing labour market intelligence to inform the provision of information, advice and guidance for young people, providers, parents and employers;
• working closely with the National Careers Service local offer.
  
  

Over five years, from 2014/15, it had been agreed that the City Deal would deliver:
 

• 420 additional apprenticeships to support growth sectors;
• 50 more employers engaging with schools and colleges;
• 25 more employers engaging with traineeships;
• 150 more employers raised awareness of apprenticeships.
   

Stella Cockerill highlighted that the position nationally in relation to skills and apprenticeships had changed significantly since the City Deal agreement was first made.  She made the point, in respect of growth areas, that recognition had to be given to the fact that businesses themselves would set out where they needed to grow, therefore meaning that some of the 420 additional apprenticeships would not necessarily fit into the STEM based growth sectors originally selected as priorities for the City Deal.  She added, however, that on a more wider perspective all apprenticeships still supported local economic growth.

Councillor Tim Bick provided an update on behalf of the Joint Assembly’s Skills Sub-Group, which had operated as a sounding board in the preparation of this report and the recommendations contained within, which it supported.  He said that the report brought forward a strategic view of what was trying to be achieved and provided a model for discussing the skills thread of the City Deal as it moved forward. 

Councillor Bick reported that the City Deal had established a wider view of the Skills Service as a result of this workstream.  The Service was being delivered for the City Deal Partnership by Form the Future and managed on the Partnership’s behalf by the Local Enterprise Partnership.  This service helped young people to understand their career options and develop their employability through contact with employers.  He emphasised, however, that this was only one aspect of the service,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9