Minutes:
Jasbir Jhas, Senior Adviser, introduced the item. She updated members on the progress of LGA employment and skills lobbying work, and the negotiations with Whitehall departments on the role of local government in skills in local areas going forward.
She set out the key findings of the Learning and Work Institute’s report and advised that based on these, the LGA's vision for an integrated and devolved employment and skills service ‘Work Local’ had been developed. Officers had now written to MPs on how to take work forward, and fringe events would be held at party conferences to promote the project.
In the discussion which followed, members made the following points:
· There was a discussion on the impact of mobility for the workforce, and the continuous need for individuals to reskill as the job market changed. As people lived longer, they would have numerous careers over their lifetime. Case studies on the impact of this should be considered going forward.
· It was suggested that the solutions Work Local presented should be piloted in one area, in order to demonstrates how it would make a difference and to engage the imagination of the public and MPs.
· It was requested that the impact of skills gaps in more traditional industries, such as agriculture, should also be considered.
· The design programme set up by the Lincolnshire LEP to work with schools was highlighted as a good initiative for developing skills.
· Members emphasised that it would be helpful to talk to the government about the cost of the failure of the current system. Examples of barriers facing individuals, such as trouble acquiring literacy skills, were discussed.
Decision:
1. The board noted the report.
Action:
1. Officers to take forward work as directed by members.