Minutes of the North East Learning Providers’ meetingheld on Thursday 16November2017in the Holiday Inn, Washington commencing at 10.00am

1. Present

Chair –Geoff Mount

Treasurer – David Barker

Secretary – David Baker

Representatives from the following member organisations:

Access Training

Barnardos

BL Training

B-Skill

Catch 22

Milltech

NAC Group

NEETA

NYA

Release Potential

Springboard Sunderland

TESDA

Tyneside TrainingServices

NELP

Guests

ESFA – Stuart Linden

DWP – Bernie Topham

AELP – Cheryl Swales

Learning Curve Group – Daniel Dowson

2. Apologies for Absence

Carole Winter (NHS Assessment Centre); Kay Coull and Julie Maxfield (Babcock International); Mandy Corbitt (MTC); Steve Rutland (Public Value Ltd): Andy Proud (TDR).

3. Chair’s Welcome

The Chair(Geoff Mount) welcomed all to thismeeting of North East Learning Providerswitha particular welcome to Daniel Dowson from Learning Curve Group.

Geoff commented that since the last meeting in Julywe have had a number of headline issues:

  • Apprenticeships – 61% drop in starts since the same time last year; the Agency has no plans to change or U-turn!
  • Non-levy tender – e-mails on Bravo recently, no indication of when this will be announced
  • AEB – all should have contracts although now delayed
  • Policy – continues to develop – technical qualifications

4. Minutes of the last meeting held on 23March and Matters arising

The meeting accepted the minutes of the AGM held on 21 September and of the meeting held on 13 July.

5.ESFA Update – Paul Johnson

Paulwas to attend this meeting until 48 hours beforehand; the Chair shared the e-mail received from Paul:

  • Apologies for this but I’m not going to be able to attend as planned on Thursday as I need to be in Coventry to review AEB PMP1 growth requests and Thursday is the only time I can do this I’m afraid.

There is nothing I can say regarding non levy procurement as it’s still live although timescales have been published in the ITT.

For May to December we have published arrangements to performance manage non- levy provision; there was a growth exercise in September and October and growth has been awarded to providers who submitted credible cases including evidenced employer demand. We carried out a similar exercise in July to ensure providers had sufficient funds to meet evidenced demand.

Similar approaches will be taken for post January starts for those successful in the ITT. We will review performance in June and carry out a growth exercise which will be concluded by the end of July 18 and undertake a further performance management point in October 18, confirming the outcome by the end of November. These two points will cover apprenticeship allocation for new starts from 1 January 2018 to 31 March 2019.

From April 2019 we expect all funding to be routed through the apprenticeship service as is the case for levy funded apprenticeships now, which will fundamentally change the way we contract.

The 3 million target is still a Government commitment.

6. ESFA – 16-18 Update – Stuart Linden

Stuart was welcomed back to the main meeting andprovided an update:

  • Work placement development funding announced
  • T-agenda & skills plan
  • Moves us on from skills plan (originally based on the Wolfe plan), landscape is rather cluttered and the new skills plan attempts to simplify
  • 15 sectors – 1 awarding body /sector
  • Skills plan tries to get young people at 16 to determine which pathway they want to follow – vocational; technical; academic
  • T-level – technical – level 3
  • Some apprenticeships may move from vocational into more t-level
  • Expectation – t-level have significant work experience (3 months)
  • T-level equates to 900 hours study
  • High needs places identification – deadline 17 November
  • Due diligence process revised for high needs places
  • 1st stage – 10 or more places named by local authority
  • Maths & English – slight changes
  • English Literature prior achievement specified
  • AEB Funding rules updated, videos / webinars posted on gov.uk
  • Funding rules monitoring plan published (October)
  • 17/18 ILR funding reports guidance published.

7. DWP Update – Bernie Topham

Bernie provided an update:

  • Work & Health programme – live in January 2018 replaces Work Choice
  • Contract duration – 5 years
  • Estimated that it will support 240,000 people in England
  • Main support to disabled people (voluntary) plus homeless persons, ex-offenders, ex-armed forces, individuals from drug and alcohol programmes
  • The Enhanced Support Offer will equip us to meet this vision by delivering 13 measures specifically aimed at helping people with disabilities and long-term health conditions to move toward and into work
  • Community Partners
  • Small Employer Offer (SEO)
  • Journey to Employment
  • Mental Health Training
  • Contracted Provision Additional Places - Work Choice, Work and Health Programme, Specialist Employability Support (SES), Access to Work Mental Health Support Service
  • Proofs of Concept - Jobcentre Plus led Specialist Employability Support, Specialist Advice, Local Supported Employment, Young Persons Supported Work Experience, Work Related Activity Group (WRAG) Intensive Support Trial (see attached)
  • Tool being developed to identify eligible individuals
  • Each district to have 5 local sign-posting organisations to capture individuals not usually seen by Job Centre
  • Universal Credit rollout
  • Already – Newcastle, Gateshead, Hartlepool
  • December –Bishop Auckland, Consett, Crook, Stanley
  • February 2018 – South Shields, Jarrow, Killingworth, North Shields, Wallsend
  • March – Chester le street, Newton Aycliffe, Spennymoor, Durham
  • April – Billingham, Stockton, Thornaby
  • May – Sunderland, Southwick, Houghton, Washington, Middlesbrough (x2)
  • July – Ashington, Berwick, Cramlington, Morpeth
  • August – Eston, Guisborough, Loftus and Redcar
  • September – Alnwick, Blyth, Bedlington and Hexham
  • Unemployment:
  • National – 4.3%
  • NE – 6% (Sunderland – 7.3%)

8. AELP Update – Cheryl Swales

Cheryl provided an update presentation,(copy attached).

  • Conference headlines:
  • Traineeships – 3 large providers ceased offer
  • Apprenticeships – 61% decline in starts
  • Providers – predicted loss of 500 providers over the next year
  • Most impact – 20% off-the-job
  • Apprenticeship Service
  • Transfer service available April ‘18
  • Non-levy to full system April ‘19
  • Data/funding – double lock removal July ‘18
  • Full review of register
  • Audit of new providers to the Register – subcontracted out very soon
  • Subcontractors – ESFA reviewing
  • T-level pitched at level 3 – what about level 2?
  • 1st ones – Digital, Childcare, Hospitality – up & running by 2019
  • AELP calling for two simple actions:
  • No employer contribution towards 16 – 24 year old apprenticeships at non-levy paying employers, or at employers that have exceeded their levy
  • Introduce flexibility to the 20% off the job rule
  • ILP - records for study programme – AELP challenging recent audit procedures
  • Partnership with FE Week to create new awards (see attached presentation)
  • 6 main categories
  • Regional approach – 4 regions – Northern Providers Network
  • Awards – 2 new ones for Providers – applications closing early January 2018
  • Fair funding for functional skills
  • Costing models available – contact Cheryl or the Executive Officer ()
  • Attendance at local workshops - Digital Skills workshops – one was planned for Durham (no uptake), rescheduled (no uptake)!!

9. AGP Update – David Barker

David provided an update:

  • Aims
  • Assess apprenticeship provision in the NE
  • Promote higher & degree apprenticeships
  • Promote apprenticeships at all levels
  • Michelle Rainbow, NELEP Skills Director to present at next meeting in January.

10. Network Business

  • NELP Positioning document shared and accepted, key focus:
  • More activities for networking – like the ‘positioning activity’ at the meeting
  • Include agenda items at the meetings – 16-18 study programme & t-level
  • Marketing – new employer providers, 16-18 study programme providers
  • Feedback from structured activity groups:
  • Table 1
  • Maintain Network meetings – provide time for task & finish meetings / discussions
  • Maintain Digest – additionally provide monthly list of CPD courses around the area – emphasise mutual help
  • Annual conference – when??
  • Structure for involvement with NLP/AELP
  • Table 2
  • Annual conference - linked to AGM, possible sponsorship / exhibition arrangement
  • CPD – no free training concern (a major member benefit)
  • Networking – having something afterwards – themes as part of the meeting, make more of the energy generated
  • Agreed with idea of linking with AELP
  • Table 3
  • Introducing targeted data dedicated timeslots in the agenda
  • CPD – better collaboration between Providers, share cross functional training / area
  • Representation – involving other providers, not just Independent Learning providers
  • Influencing stakeholders – have we given up or are there still things we can do?
  • Table 4
  • CPD – shared event representation on provision away from NE, NELP contribution to expenses with a slot on a following meeting
  • More discussion sharing – like this positioning exercise
  • Increasing membership
  • Employability providers
  • Employer providers (identify using the Register)
  • 16 – 19 offer – reintroduce back to main agenda
  • Network meetings
  • Keep to morning session
  • Common agenda items / focus timings on task & finish sessions

11. AOB

  • Management Group vacancies – contact the Executive Officer

Date of Next Meeting

The next meetingwill be held on Thursday 18January 2018in the Beamish Suite, Holiday Inn, Washington, NE37 1LB (Tel: 0871 942 9084).

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