Agenda and minutes

Venue: Printworks Campus, Leeds City College, Hunslet Road, Leeds LS10 1JY

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Cllr Peter McBride, Cllr Richard Foster, Sam Alexander, Martin Booth, David Cooper, Mike Curtis, Orlagh Hunt, Richard Mason, Peter O’Brien, Claire Paxman, Glynn Robinson, and Sue Soroczan,

         

         

 

2.

Declaration of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests

Minutes:

There we no items o Disclosable Pecuniary Interests.

3.

Exempt Information - Possible Exclusion of the Press and Public

Minutes:

There were no items exempt to the press and public

4.

Minutes of the Meeting held on 23 February 2021 pdf icon PDF 166 KB

Minutes:

That the minutes of the Employment and Skills Panel held on 23 February 2021 be approved.

 

5.

Chair's introduction and Update

Minutes:

Chair's introduction and Update

 

Councillor Lewis welcomed members and new members from Local Authorities to the first Employment and Skills Committee and said it was a new Committee but builds on the great work of the former Employment and Skills Panel led by Rashik.

 

As the new Chair, with Rashik continuing his input to the Committee as deputy, he is looking forward to working with members to shape this Committee and agenda and whilst there is a regular schedule of meetings, is keen to allow engagement and input in between meetings and with members of other Committees.

 

As deputy mayor for Tracy Brabin, Councillor Lewis said he is committed and supportive of employment and skills to unlock the potential we have in the Region and believes it is a true enabler to inclusive growth, so is looking forward to working with members on this agenda.  This Committee will only work if all commit to attending and contributing where we can and that to this end, he is keen that wherever possible, we prioritise attendance in support of this agenda.

 

The Chair said that as part of the update he wanted to share with members a few key areas as follows: -

 

Budget and Comprehensive Review

 

Many of the announcements on skills had already been made prior to the speech, and the detail on how much will be spent in the different packages is not entirely clear.

 

There was a lot missing from the budget including employment support, and some important details are yet to emerge – particularly around UK SPF as the successor fund to ESF

 

The main skills announcements were:

 

·       a new £560m ‘Multiply’ programme through UK SPF for adults with low numeracy skills

·       £1.6bn to expand and increase the T Level offer

·       £554m for short courses and skills bootcamps (a commitment from the manifesto)

·       £1.5bn for capital investments linked to high value courses

·       £500m from the new health and social care levy will be for skills

·       AI scholarship programme

 

Further announcements of interest around education include funding for a new ‘Start for Life’ early years programme, funding for more 16-19 places, recovery programme, extension of school holiday activities and food programme

 

There are also further investments in Work Coaches

 

Union Learning Fund

 

The Union Learning Fund (ULF) was originally set up in 1998 to support trade

unions to widen access to learning and training in workplaces.

 

The fund supported workplace projects across England and was coordinated

by the TUC. Each year around 200,000 workers were supported into learning

or training with union support through the ULF and the TUC. The government

withdrew funding for the TUC Union Learning Funding from March 2021

(annually circa £11m), in order to refocus use of the funds to support FE

colleges as part of the Lifetime Skills Guarantee announced by the Prime

Minister in autumn 2020.

 

Union learning reaches people that other DfE programmes do not reach. For

example, take up of English and maths qualifications (up to level 2) by  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

6.

Employment and Skills Committee Governance Arrangements pdf icon PDF 177 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report and overview from the Director of Economic Services to advise of the governance arrangements approved by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (the Combined Authority) at the Annual Meeting on 24 June 2021 in respect of the Employment and Skills Committee and the terms of reference for the Committee attached at Appendix 1 of the report. 

 

It was advised that the Employment and Skills Committee is a decision-making Committee, and the quorum is 3 voting members to include 2 Combined Authority members or Local Authority co-optees.

 

The Combined Authority also appointed Councillor James Lewis as Chair of

the Committee and Rashik Parmar as Deputy.

 

Resolved: That the Employment and Skills Committee governance arrangements approved by the Combined Authority at the Annual Meeting on

24 June be noted.

7.

Data Monitoring & Evidence Base for Committee pdf icon PDF 175 KB

(Led by: Alan Reiss, Author: Peter Glover)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report and overview by the Economic Evidence Manager on the latest evidence and intelligence which included a presentation of key messages from employment and skills analysis to inform discussion and information on the Skills Advisory Panel and to propose a list of topics outlined in the report for a forward workplan discussion and agreement.

 

The presentation included a summary of the latest position against the Combined Authority’s Strategic Economic Framework headline indicators, focusing on those that are directly relevant to the employment and skills agenda and an overview of current trends in the labour market based on the most-timely data available for West Yorkshire.

 

In addition to annual reporting against the SEF indicators and more in-depth

review of the findings of the annual labour market analysis it is proposed to

provide timely, regular reporting to each Committee meeting based around a

standard set of indicators. The analysis of current trends appended to the report focussed on the following elements / indicators. It is proposed to report against these elements as a standard item for future Employment and Skills Committee meetings.

 

·       Key developments in the national labour market

·       Employment trends in West Yorkshire (based on HMRC real-time information for pay-rolled employees)

·       Vacancy trends (based on online job postings)

·       Claimant count (count of people on out of work benefits)

·       In-year provisional figures for take-up of further education and skills programmes in West Yorkshire (including apprenticeships)

 

The Committee was invited to review the proposal and provided suggestions for any additional coverage or indicators.

 

The Economic Evidence Manager was thanked for his comprehensive report and in noting members said they understood the skills shortage is a complex issue and a diverse recruitment policy has never been so important.  They would support everything that can be done to encourage people back to work.

 

The Committee was also asked to consider the following list and identify their preferences for future meetings.

 

·       The Green Jobs Taskforce, and its proposed work programme

·       The verbal update on the West Yorkshire Digital Festival

 

Resolved:

 

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

 

(ii)            That the latest intelligence relating to employment and skills in West Yorkshire and the current performance of West Yorkshire against the Strategic Economic Framework Indicators be noted.

 

(iii)          That comments and feedback by members be noted.

 

(iv)          That the activities that are planned under the Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Education and the proposed schedule for the production and publication of forthcoming labour market analysis reports be noted.

 

 

8.

Mayoral Pledge pdf icon PDF 376 KB

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report with an update on Mayoral pledge activity in relation to the Committee and alignment to broader Strategic Economic and Employment and Skills Framework. The Committee was asked for their recommendations on the next steps for pledge development.

 

The Chair said this is a really exciting opportunity for this Committee to shape how we see the two pledges of ‘1000 well-paid, skilled green jobs for Young People’ and ‘Prioritise skills and training to ensure everyone in West Yorkshire has the skills they need to secure work.

 

With the impacts of COVID and skills shortages impacted by Brexit, it is important that we make sure there is the right support in place to support more people into and within good work.

 

The Committee was asked to

 

·       Provide feedback on The Green Jobs Taskforce, and its proposed work programme

·       Provide feedback on the proposed West Yorkshire Digital Festival

·       Give Initial thoughts on proposals for pipeline development linked to the manifesto and Employment and Skills Framework

·       Discuss how the Committee sees its role in promoting Inclusive Growth through the pledges?

·       Provide feedback on how the Committee would like to engage with the Mayoral pledges as part of its forward work plan, including those that will be led on by other Committees of the Combined Authority.

 

In noting the Committee discussed and agreed that these were good pledges and supported.  Members were conscious that a lot is already happening throughout the Local Authorities and there is a need to push for continuity in the long term.

 

Resolved:

 

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

 

(ii)            That members discussed the Mayoral Pledges and in particular the approach and feedback and comments be noted.

 

9.

Forward Plan pdf icon PDF 271 KB

(Led by: Michelle Burton, Author: Sonya Midgley)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report with a verbal update to propose a list of topics for a forward workplan for the Committee to July 2022.

 

The Framework outlines five priorities for West Yorkshire, to deliver skilled

people, good jobs, and strong businesses:

 

·       Quality technical education

·       Great education connected to business

·       Accessing and progressing in good work

·       Creating a culture of investment in workforce skills

·       Driving innovation and productivity through high level skills.

 

In his introduction to the Forward Plan item the Chair said we need to drive investmentin skills by individuals and employers, based on locally rooted careers information and guidance, we need to tackle areas with specific skills gaps including digital and green skills as well as manufacturing * engineering, digital and health and social care sectors whilst ensuring they are accessible to everyone and are inclusive.

 

We must create the conditions for good work both by supporting development and implementation of the Fair Work Charter but also by supporting business to have good working practices and that are engaged with the skills system.

Through this agenda we must also work to develop stronger links to the place based, skills and net zero agendas and the committees driving work on those issues. Ultimately, we want to support people to get good jobs and have successful careers that support them to fulfil their personal ambitions, we want strong business that provide good jobs for the residents of West Yorkshire.  We will therefore need to regularly review progress on the Employment and Skills Framework, AEB strategy as well as the Digital Skills Plan that we will discuss later so that we can ensure as many people as possible can access education, work and take part on everyday activities that increasingly rely on having these skills.

 

The Committee was asked to discuss and agree the role of the Committee, the priorities for the Committee to both the Mayoral pledges and the broader regional strategic framework

 

Resolved:

 

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

 

(ii)            That the feedback and comments be noted.

 

(iii)          That the role of the Committee and priorities for the Mayoral pledges and the broader strategic framework be agreed.

 

 

10.

FE Reforms pdf icon PDF 275 KB

(Led by: Liz Hunter, Author Sonya Midgley)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report to provide an update to the Committee on the latest FE Reforms and the subsequent Skills and Post 16 Education Bill.

 

The Committee was thanked for its input to the two consultations that took place over the summer on the National Skills Fund and Funding and Accountability.  This was a good example of working together outside of the formal meetings to help shape the response together from West Yorkshire.

The White Paper on FE Reforms covered 35 different reforms and the Committee was advised there will be more to come, and that Officers will be seeking support to shape a response.

 

On noting the Committee provided views and comments on the reforms and the proposed legislation to be completed

 

Resolved:

 

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

 

(ii)            That the comments and views of the Committee on the proposed legislation to be completed be noted.

 

 

11.

AEB Programme pdf icon PDF 271 KB

(Led by: Brian Archer, Author: Lindsey Daniels)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report and a verbal update by the AEB Manager on progress with the devolved Adult Education Budget (AEB) now the fund is devolved and under delivery.

 

Devolution of the Adult Education Budget offers us an opportunity to align this £65m fund with the needs of the regional economy and to deliver better outcomes for learners. It is important that we recognise the strategic as well as the delivery role of Local Authorities and officers are working hard to ensure that they balance these dual roles. A strategic skills group of LAs and the Combined Authority will be meeting on 12 November to discuss joint working in the context of skills devolution, including a draft paper which has been led by colleagues from Bradford Council.

 

The Committee was asked to note the progress to date and agree the following next steps:

 

A proposal for how the Combined Authority will utilise the remaining

funding and any identified underspend for AY2021/22 will be worked up

with the Local Authorities and brought to the next Employment and Skills

Committee as outlined in 2.7 of the report.

 

Remedial action should be taken on all providers who underperform

against profile in line with the Performance Management Framework,

ensuring funds can be reallocated in-year to maximise AEB impact.

 

For the Level 3 Allocation, the identified underspend will be distributed

amongst existing provider, assuming performance is demonstrated in the

November return. Additional procurement will be considered if the existing

provider base is unable to utilise the contract values.

 

In noting members provided feedback and comments and said that they were looking forward to the report containing up to date data to be brought to the next meeting to be held on 24 January 2022 and was happy with the recommendations.  It was also noted that ITP’s should be consulted.

 

Resolved:

 

(i)             That the contents of the report be noted

 

(ii)            That feedback and comments from members be noted.

 

(iii)          That the progress and next steps be noted and agreed.

 

12.

West Yorkshire Digital Skills Partnership pdf icon PDF 277 KB

(Led by: Liz Hunter, Author Sonya Midgley)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report and verbal update on the West Yorkshire Digital Skills Partnership including the Digital Skills Plan and the next steps towards its publication.

 

Digital skills are vital to accessing everyday activities as well as work.  The most recent Lloyds Digital Index shows that whilst the number of people without essential digital skills for life – that’s being able to turn on a device, navigate the internet and communicate with others, has fallen it still remains at around 21%.  It’s not just individuals but small business too that needs support.  The Local Digital Skills Partnership has brought together a number of leaders from across sectors over the past year and has already coordinated a number of support programmes that have supported around 7000 individuals in the region.  This plan sets out the key priorities and what needs to be done next to close the digital skills divide.

 

The Committee was asked to comment on the work to date on a Digital Skills Plan for West Yorkshire and endorse on the vision statement, high level priorities of the West Yorkshire Digital Skills Plan

 

In noting members said this was an excellent report.

 

Resolved:

 

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

 

(ii)            That members comments on the work to date on a Digital Skills Plan for West Yorkshire be noted.

 

(iii)          That the vision statement, high level priorities of the West Yorkshire Digital Skills Plan be endorsed.

 

13.

Employment and Skills Programme Delivery pdf icon PDF 437 KB

(Led by: Brian Archer, Author: Michelle Burton)

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report and a verbal update by the Head of Employment and Skills on the progress of delivery of LEP and Combined Authority-led employment and skills programmes in the Leeds City Region and how they have been adapted to support COVID-19.

 

The paper provided a summary of the broad range of activity that the Combined Authority is delivering, working closely with partners, on the Employment and Skills agenda. This includes activity funded from different sources including European Social Fund and new programmes being delivered utilising the gainshare funding secured as part of the WY devolution deal.

 

Resolved:

 

(i)             That the contents of the report be noted

 

(ii)            That member’s feedback and comments be noted.

 

(iii)           That the progress of delivery of employment and stills programmes in the Leeds City Region be noted and agreed.