Agenda item

The Chair introduced Jasbir Jhas to the Board.

Jas updated the Board on the LGA’s skills and employment activity. This included progress on the  Skills Taskforce jointly developed by this Board and the People and Places Board which aims to engage stakeholders on our ‘Work Local’ proposals.

A brief summary of the first roundtable (December 2018) was given, which included discussions on apprenticeships, low skills, career progression and  the National Retraining Scheme.

Once the three roundtables are conclude (March 2019), officers will bring a paper to the Board on next steps.

The reformed Social Mobility Commission, chaired by Dame Martina Milburn, is due to release its ‘State of The Nation’ report in March 2019. The last report stated  that councils should be doing more around social mobility. LGA officers have suggested that due to the cross cutting nature of social mobility, the SMC chair should be invited to the a future LGA Executive as this would provide a good opportunity to discuss the development of the report.

Bushra Jamil, informed members that a paper was presented to this Board in February 2017 which highlighted the sectors ambitions in terms of an all age careers service. Since the LGA’s position paper there has been the launch of the Careers Strategy and more recently the establishment of Careers Hubs,. Therefore, it is now  an opportune time for the LGA  to refresh its careers policy, as part of our Work Local campaign. Officers intend to produce a more detailed paper to the Board at a future meeting for discussion.

Cllr Peter John gave a brief update on London Councils ‘Better Ways to Work’ report on the labour markets in London. Cllr John outlined that it calls for Government to work closer with local government in fashioning how this agenda is taken forward. The report is available online and will be circulated to members. 

The Chair introduced Lesley Giles, Director at the Work Foundation. Lesley leads a work programme seeking to champion ‘good work’ and to improve policy and business practices.

Given the range of issues covered by this Board, Lesley was asked to give her reflections on the following:

·         our ability to address inclusive growth and the productivity challenge including through the current employment and skills system;

·         the future of work including insecure work, the outlook post-Brexit and the continued advancement of new technology; and

·         potential for the Industrial Strategy and local industrial strategies to address these challenges and opportunities nationally, locally and by sector.

Key points from presentation and discussion:

·         According to ONS 96 per cent of our economy is small businesses. This is challenging management capability and leading to business polarisation of high and low skilled jobs.

·         New technology and automation of jobs is resulting in skills gap, which need to be addressed with the changing nature of future work.

·         According to OECD data, UK has young people leaving the education system with lower skills than the older generation, which indicates that we have not utilised technology effectively and upskilling the workforce is increasingly important.

·         The Local Industrial Strategy offers a vital framework to drive the economy, strengthen partnerships and provide a whole government perspective. This offers an opportunity to look at how to align a national strategy with local areas needs and unlock potential devolution.

·         Recent employment growth has been in low wage, part-time contracts and job uncertainty, which questions the role of legislation relating ‘good work’. It is critical for employers to ensure ‘good work’ as this affects the wellbeing of workers.

·         Work Foundation have dedicated projects with businesses to think about specific health conditions and tailored health management systems. 

The Chair thanked Lesley Giles for presenting to the Board.

Decisions and Actions:

·         London Councils ‘Better Ways to Work’ report is available online and will be circulated to members. 

·         Once the three roundtables are conclude (March 2019), officers will bring a paper to the Board on next steps.