Agenda item

The Panel will consider a report setting out an Overview of Post 16 Skills, Training and Apprenticeships.

 

Contact:
Gillian Wallace , Head of Employment and Skills

The Panel considered the report ‘Overview of Post 16 Skills, Training and Apprenticeships’ which was introduced by Councillor Graham Turner, Cabinet Member for Regeneration who advised that it was a long-term policy that focused on trying to increase the numbers of people in work and upskilling Kirklees residents.

 

Gillian Wallace, Head of Employment and Skills, presented an overview of the work taking place in relation to employment and skills, and advised that the report focused heavily of adult provision. Gillian shared that:

 

·         Many of the challenges were not recent but an accumulation of a lack of investment and activity in the past.

·         There were two work strands identified that would help tackle the challenges:

o   The future workforce – working with school-aged children and people in education.

o   Upskilling and re-skilling adults already in employment.

·         The challenges identified were:

o   Too many jobs in Kirklees paid below the National Living Wage.

o   The local adult population had lower skills levels than the national average.

o   Low skill levels impacted on productivity and in turn wage levels.

·         The Solutions were:

o   Significant investment in skills at all levels and all ages.

o   Collaboration across the public, private and third sectors.

o   National, regional, and local policy responsibility, and funding streams.

·         The Kirklees Employment and Skills Plan was developed in response to the challenges and to make sense of what Kirklees wanted to prioritise and achieve.

·         The Plan needed to define what the Kirklees Ask was, what it’s position was going to be and how it could maximise on the opportunities that had become available to address the challenges.

·         The Plan had been developed over the past year and was in the early delivery stage.

·         The plan did not exist in isolation, it was in line with the Kirklees Economic Strategy and Education Strategy (Kirklees Futures).

·         The plan was developed on data, employer input, and stake holders input to identify the 4 priorities, which were:

o   Empowering Young People.

o   Digital Inclusion.

o   Supporting Communities to Learn and Progress.

o   Skills for the Future.

·         There were measures in the plan to show impact and to help minimise the gap between Kirklees and the National picture.

·         There were a range of Partners involved in the Employment and Skill Partnership.

·         The Employment and Skills Programme included programmes for individuals, programmes for businesses, and pipeline programmes.

·         Statistic in Kirklees regarding apprenticeship were not great due to the reforms in 2019 and the pandemic.

·         Apprenticeships were key and a unique project to support individuals and help businesses.

·         There had been some improvement in apprenticeships, but Kirklees were not where they hope to be.

 

Gillian Wallace responded to a question from the Panel regarding the plans to improve and expand provision in North Kirklees.  It was advised that Kirklees College had a presence in North Kirklees and that there was a range of independent training providers, who worked remotely and utilised voluntary sector provision. Gillian agreed that there needed to be a breadth of provision across Kirklees.

 

The Panel suggested it would be useful to engage with Local MP’s to support this work as they had access to levelling up funds and to ministers. The Panel also highlighted that the data in the plan showed Kirklees performance was better in some areas when compared to the National / West Yorkshire average. The Panel acknowledged the low pay levels and agreed the Council should be aspiring to improve the level of pay.

 

Gillian Wallace noted the Panel’s suggestion that the measures in the plan needed to be more quantifiable, and advised that this was the intention, and that the plan was a starting point that could be built upon. In response to a question in relation to the Employment and Skill Commission Gillian further advised it had been superseded by the Partnership.

 

Gillian Wallace responded to a question from the Panel regarding the apprenticeship for all programme not hitting ESF targets and advised that it was a pilot programme and traditional results were made to fit. Results were based around achieving a unit, which put Kirklees behind the curve in terms of the delay in being able to collect the evidence and prove it within the rules of the funding agreement.

 

Gillian Wallace responded to a question from the Panel regarding the levy transfer and the take up from local businesses and shared that the Council were working with 10 business across Kirklees, and it was the Local Authorities levy that was funding their apprenticeships. Gillian further advised that there had been a 300% increase in enquiries into the levy transfer pot and feedback from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) was that they had seen a huge up take since the Kirklees apprenticeship for all programme, and that the number of enquiries has enabled them to do a lot of matching.

 

Gillian Wallace responded to a question from the Panel regarding the apprenticeship grant and business take up and advised that there were 180 enquiries in the system with the expectation that at least 80% would pay out and claim the full grant, and there was capacity for more. The grant was running as a pilot project and an evaluation would be carried out to identify if the wage subsidy added value and made a difference.

 

Gillian Wallace responded to a question from the Panel regarding pre-16 education, and advised that, it had progressed in recent years due to OFSTED recognising the importance of career development. Schools were now being measured against Gatsby benchmarks. C&K Careers were also working with schools and sixth forms to support them to achieve the Gatsby benchmarks, and to engage with local businesses.

 

The Panel noted the responses to questions and highlighted that there had been some resistance to work with Kirklees College and suggested it was important to improve relations.

 

Gillian Wallace responded and advised that apprenticeships were a commercial market and employers had a choice who they used as their apprenticeship provider. Gillian further added that colleges were engaging well with businesses, were working with Careers Advisors and were open to conversations and adjusting their curriculum to meet business needs. However, there were other independent training providers who were more specialist and should be encouraged, as some industries in Kirklees needed a niche provider.

 

The Panel noted that there were some employers who wanted training courses to take place out of works time and recommended that it was not the model the Council adopted.

 

Gillian Wallace responded and advised that there was a need for apprenticeship to be flexible and a variety of programmes available to meet the individuals needs and business’s needs, and that the Council worked closely with People Service’s to provide a framework of providers to support that.

 

Gillian Wallace responded to a question from the Panel regarding the niche market and the skills set needed. Gillian shared that there was a Local Skills Improvement Plan in place which was led by the Chamber of Commerce and conversations were taking place with business regarding the skills set they needed. Gillian shared that it was important to ask the right questions to determine what the need was now, and then in the future, to identify the gaps and develop the provision.

 

Gillian further advised that the West Yorkshire devolution deal had provided increased freedom in relation to the adult education budget. The Council were working closely with the WYCA and where there was a business need, funding could be considered to procure extra training.

 

The Panel highlighted that the Chamber of Commerce was not a representative of businesses, and that engagement with Industry bodies was more effective in terms of identifying the skills set needed.

 

Gillian Wallace responded and advised that the Chamber of Commerce had a limited membership, and although they were leading, it was about engaging with a much wider base, and ensuring the voice of Kirklees businesses was heard and represented.

 

Gillian Wallace responded to a question in relation to job security and providing reassurance and advised that transferable skills were key and ensuring apprenticeship frameworks reflected that.

 

Gillian Wallace acknowledged and agreed there was a big piece of work to be done around myth busting, not just for people going into apprenticeship but also the surrounding network. Gillian shared the benefit of having C and K careers to offer advice and the need to amplify success stories. Gillian shared the use of the top 100 careers initiatives to showcase some of the fantastic businesses and opportunities available within Kirklees, which would be built on each year.

 

Gillian responded to a question regarding apprenticeship vacancies and advised that apprenticeships had to be linked to a job role and the employer deciding what they needed.

 

RESOLVED: The Panel noted the report ‘Overview of Post 16 Skills, Training and Apprenticeships’ and recommended that:

1)    Work to continue to ensure a breadth of provision across Kirklees to meet the needs of individual learners and businesses.

2)    Local MPs be briefed in relation to the policy and local business and educational needs.

3)    A joint discussion with the Children’s Scrutiny Panel be considered.

4)    Measures to be quantifiable, setting out the current position, and benchmarks be added to the plan to show progress.

5)    A further update be given to scrutiny around targets, about how these will be achieved and measuring success when appropriate

6)    Reference be made to the Employment and Skills Partnerships to replace Employment and Skills Commission.

7)    Actual figures be provided in relation to the increase in Levy fund enquiries.

8)    Engagement should be held with a wider group of businesses, not just the Chamber of Commerce to seek the views of those who do not regularly have time to attend meetings to ensure their representation.

9)    To ensure that success stories are amplified.