Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room A, Wellington House, 40-50 Wellington Street, Leeds

Items
No. Item

11.

Apologies for absence

Minutes:

In the absence of Rashik Parmar, Mark Roberts chaired the meeting.

 

Apologies for absence were received from Rashik Parmar, Simon Barratt, Martin Booth, Amanda Stainton, Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, Cllr Imran Khan,

Cllr Adam Wilkinson, Cllr Patrick Mulligan, Cllr Michael Graham, Professor Margaret House, Nick Bowen, Mike Curtis, Sue Soroczan, Alex Miles, Sam Alexander and Merran McRae.

12.

Declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests

Minutes:

There were no disclosable pecuniary interests declared by members at the meeting.

13.

Exempt Information - Exclusion of the press and public

Minutes:

There were no items on the agenda requiring the exclusion of the press and public.

14.

Minutes of the meeting of the Employment and Skills Panel held on 12 September 2019 pdf icon PDF 118 KB

Minutes:

To note that Diana Towler was present at the last meeting.

 

Nav Chohan noted that the change of criteria for AGE re new apprentices has impacted the take-up and that this wasn’t just due to the non-levy funding issue; he also noted that WYCC and the CA are waiting for an answer to a question about participant eligibility on (re)boot from DWP as Managing Agent for ESF.

 

Officers to follow up with Cllr Imran Khan re Bradford Linkage with SEND Hub

 

The Panel was asked to note the following:

 

Item 7, the inclusive Growth and Public Policy Meeting for November was cancelled but a paper will go to the next meeting in March including the evaluation of the work wellness pilot.

 

Item 8, a technical labour market workshop has been held for stakeholders on the 2019 data.

 

Resolved:  That subject to the above amendments the minutes of the Employment and Skills Panel held on 12 September 2019 be approved and signed by the Chair.

15.

Chair's update

Minutes:

The Chair updated members to say that the interim report for the Future-Ready Skills Commission was published earlier this month and sets out 10 things that need to change with the current skills system.  In its next phase, the Commission will design a blueprint for how the skills system needs to work to deliver local outcomes.

16.

Employment and Skills Programmes pdf icon PDF 132 KB

Minutes:

The Panel considered a report to update on the progress of delivery of

LEP-led employment and skills programmes in the Leeds City Region including School Partnerships, Careers, Apprenticeships and Employment and Skills for Business, Work Wellness.  

 

The Panel was asked for their help in raising awareness of the Apprenticeship Levy transfer service among their networks and to note and comment on the progress of delivery of employment and skills programmes in the Leeds City Region.

 

It was highlighted that the Kirklees Careers Hub is making good progress in supporting hub schools and colleges to achieve the Gatsby benchmarks of good careers guidance.  The average number of benchmarks achieved by the 33 secondary schools and two colleges in the Hub is 4.27, against a national average pf 3.9.  This included six secondary schools fully achieving Gatsby benchmarks, of only 99 nationally.

 

It was also highlighted that the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Hub officially launched in September 2019.  The hub is geographically based in the bordering local areas of Calderdale, Leeds, Wakefield and York and includes 29 schools.  Two key themes have been identified for the Careers Hub with a focus on; improving positive destinations and increasing employer engagement.  The Hub will develop a jointed up and collaborative approach, allowing more young people to gain access to the relevant support.  Schools will share best practice with each other and will prepare students for employment by providing meaningful encounters.  The aim is for students – who are currently significantly disadvantaged in the labour market – to make a successful transition into the world of work.

 

Resolved:

 

(i)              That the contents of the report be noted.

 

(ii)             That the comments of the Panel on the progress of delivery of employment and skills programmes in the Leeds City Region be noted.

 

(iii)           That offers of help in raising awareness of the Apprenticeship Levy transfer service across their networks be confirmed.

17.

Skills Advisory Panel Governance pdf icon PDF 109 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Panel considered a report for proposed changes in the governance of the Employment and Skills Panel to reflect the requirements of its Skills Advisory Panel remit.   The Panel was asked to recommend approval of the draft protocol setting out the ESP’s specific responsibilities with regard to its role as the Skills Advisory Panel for Leeds City Region and that the Combined Authority revise the membership of ESP to include two additional non-voting members who will represent education and training providers.

 

Skills Advisory Panels (SAPs) have been initiated by Government and their purpose is to bring together local employers and skills providers in order to develop a shared understanding of local skills needs and to define clear skills priorities. These deliberations are under-pinned by an evidence-based approach grounded in high quality labour market analysis.

 

Resolved:

 

(i)              That the draft protocol setting out the ESP’s specific responsibilities with regard to its role as the Skills Advisory Panel for Leeds City Region be recommended for approval.

 

(ii)             That the Combined Authority revise the membership of ESP to include 2 additional non-voting members who will represent education and training providers be recommended for approval.