Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence received from Cllr Darren Byford, Nick Bowen, Mark Roberts, Amanda Stainton, Alex Miles, Sam Alexander, Sue Soroczan and Merran McRae.

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

That the minutes of the meeting held on 27 November 2019 be agreed and signed by the Chair.

The Chair welcomed members and attendees to the Aspire I-gen offices and thanked Caroline Harrison, CEO for opening the space for the meeting,following which Caroline said a few words about Aspire I-gen and the work that they do.

At the meeting on 16 January, the LEP Board agreed to change the geography so that from 31 March 2020 onwards, the LEP will formally cover the districts of Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield and will continue to be known as the Leeds City Region. 

The Board agreed to seek strong partnership arrangements with neighbouring LEP’s and partner authorities (namely Barnsley, Craven, Harrogate, Selby and York to ensure that the Region’s economic priorities continue to be delivered and future investment is aligned to create the greatest possible benefits to all.

The Panel was presented with a report to update on the progress of delivery of LEP-led employment and skills programmes in the Leeds City Region and was asked to note and comment on the progress of delivery

Resolved: 

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

(ii)            That comments from the Panel be noted

The Panel was presented with a report to update on policy items relating to employment and skills in the Leeds City Region clarifying the structure and hierarchy of the planned policy work and was asked to consider the proposal for an Employment and Skills Plan.  The Panel was also asked to consent on the ongoing overall approach.

Resolved:

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

(ii)            That the Panel consented to the ongoing overall approach to strategy and policy issues and the proposal for a revised Employment and Skills Plan.

The Panel was presented with a report to share the headline findings on behalf of the Leeds City Region Digital Board and was asked to consider and comment on the findings of the analysis work and the recommendations highlighted by the Digital Board.  The Panel was also asked to support the areas of focus for future work as part of the overall package of skills policy work being undertaken by the LEP.

Resolved: 

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

(ii)            That the comments of the Panel and support for the areas of focus for future work be noted.

The Panel was presented with a report to update on the purpose of the Adult Education Budget (AEB), the national funding priorities which determine its use and an overview of the current practice and impact in the Leeds City Region.

Resolved:

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

(ii)            That the comments of the Panel be noted.

The next meeting of the Employment and Skills Panel will be held on 19 June 2020 which has been changed from 19 May 2020.