Skills & Employability Service
Kent and Medway
Employment Learning and Skills Partnership Board
12th December 2.00 – 4.00
Discover Room, CXK Ashford
Item / ActionerWelcome and introductions, Minutes of last Meeting
Sean Kearns as Chair welcomed everyone and introductions were made.
Sean made a declaration of conflict of interest regarding CXK’s delivery of the National Careers Service
1. / Feedback on Federation of Small Businesses Kent Member Survey
The FSB produced a biannual survey of their Kent & Medway members (approx. 6000). 474 employers responded of which:
· ~25% - sole traders
· ~66% - <10 staff
· 10% - 11 – 50 staff
· 2% - 50+ staff
49% showed increased sales figures, which is slightly down on the previous half year, however 25% had hired staff compared with 24% previously
Chief issues and concerns:
· 50% - business rights and taxation
· 6% - regulation
· 35% - access to finance
· 35% - business owners need upskilling
· 35% - staff need upskilling
The types of skills needed are diverse, ranging from computing to health and safety. There is little difference in the skills needed between districts.
Action: The Board are to feedback question to FSB for next survey
Pension self-enrolment has become a large problem, learning how to do it, the time taken etc. Could the board help in that regard?
Action: Chamber of commerce to consider sending out a similar questionnaire to their wider audience
With more skills data the Board could better inform the skills advisory board for SELEP money distribution
.
School could also use the data to inform work skills programmes.
Action: Task and Finish Group to create a set of frame questions to send to FSB for their next survey / Whole Board
Chamber of Commerce
Allan Baillie, Paul Winter, Simon Cook
2. / Feedback on LEP
ESF Money is moving forward slowly
The requirements from the LEP strands have been collated and submitted to the SFA
The DWP bid is basically complete
Tenders are out hopefully in July
More detail needs to be put into the Big Lottery draft, then it can be submitted, hopefully tendering in July
Once it moves forwards there will be a lot of ethics forms to be completed before money can be accessed
Delivery should take place in early 2016
The Big Lottery Fund is £16 million over 3 years, looking at 3 strands of 16 + provision, breaking down social isolation, and helping people furthest from the job market.
DWP is £10 million looking at people closer to the labour market, 18+ provision and universal credit. With projects looking at personal assessment, training, work-based training, and sector focus
SFA is £49 million, mostly 18+, looking at apprenticeships (all ages), business collaboration, Maths & English, CEIAG, with some funding still not allocated
All of these are pan-SELEP
Action: Mike Rayner to provide a technical briefing document with minutes
Action: There needs to be more representation from the voluntary sector and the private sector at the ELS partnership board
Skills Capital fund
£11 Million goes to Kent, split between five bids + £4million spare to spend on equipment.
Moving forward local groups need to be informing the LEP rather than being informed by them / Mike Rayner/Rob Malin
Martin Blincow
3. / Update on KC4U Live
The projected breakdown for attendees is:
· 4100 young people
· 1200 JCP
· 1000 general public walk-ins
There will be 120+ exhibitors
Celebrity endorsement and representation from Twist & Pulse and Rosemary Schrager
4. / English and Maths Pilot
It Started January 2015
JCP are putting 18 – 21 year olds on the pilot if they lack A* - C maths and English GCSEs
There have been 600 assessments but slow starts
The pilot is well received by both learners and tutors
It is split into 3 groups:
· Online
· Blinded
· Traditional
Should it start earlier (16+ rather than 18+)?
It’s too soon to gauge employer response
The pilot wouldn’t be relevant to school accountability measures
It is funded by the SFA alongside DWP
5. / Guilds/Employer Engagement
Guilds
The Engineering Guild have had their first meeting, more funding is coming in to the engineering sector
The Land-Based/Environmental Guild is developing an employability passport, ready to go live soon
The Cultural, Arts & Media guild are reviewing ways of working
The Construction Guild is currently trying to get involved in the Ebbsfleet Garden City. They have pledged to create 600 new opportunities per year
The Hospitality Guild’s website is up and running, they have already launched several events, many of which have been providing young people with job offers
Action: Send out link to hospitality guild website
Action: Create a briefing sheet on who’s involved with guilds and what they’re doing
Employer Engagement
The Movement to Work scheme is an employer created scheme to get young people into work and provide upskilling opportunities.
Members of Movement to Work, work with their own suppliers as well to create more and more opportunities.
It is based on 4 – 6 week work placements, with the possibility of a paid position at the end of it.
13,000 yp have been trained so far, 78% complete the programme and 61% secure a job role at the end of it
Employers can choose whom they recruit, training/WEx can be 3 – 6 weeks so there is a lot of flexibility
There is a certificate for the young person at the end of it all, and perhaps a job. / Rob Malin
Martin Blincow/David Knox
6. / Items for the next meeting
Being an informing group to the LEP
An update on Employer Engagement strategies
Skills priority centre
Adult Skills Strategy
Proposals for the SFA bid
LEP Skills Strategy
7. / Date of next meetings
18th June –2.00 till 4.00 – Medway Room Sessions House
Education and Young People’s Services Page 2