Agenda item

The Chair invited Jasbir Jhas, Senior Adviser, to introduce the report.

Jas introduced the report which aimed to support a Board discussion to take stock of the Board’s employment and skills activity over the past year, agree to re-position messaging around new Government policy, and plan activity over the coming year. The paper was discussed at the People & Places Board on 8 June.

Board Members made the following comments:

• Is there more information available with regards to the work that local authorities are undertaking with young people within their local areas? In Bradford, we are co-ordinating KickStart. Collaborative working and gathering metrics together would make us more powerful when putting a case to government.

• I would like more information in relation to green jobs and what it means to work in a green job.

The Chair referred to the work of the Board, particularly in giving advice to Members on how they can better deliver on the employment and skills agenda, linking the levelling-up agenda to public service reform and government’s white paper on health and tackling health inequalities.

Jas responded to comments made by Board Members:

• In relation to Adult Community Learning (ACL), the upcoming funding consultation could mean that we have a lot to lose in relation to Adult Skills and MCAs.

• With regards to inequalities, we will take a look at past work and ways of working moving forward.

• In terms of reinvigorating the metrics, we’ve got lots of great examples of gateway councils and councils working with/supporting young people, we can undertake some analysis work in relation to this. Now is a good time to undertake the analysis work as an Apprenticeship survey will be submitted to councils soon so we can include the positive work taking place within the survey text.

• In relation to the meaning of green jobs, this is an issue coming out within government’s Further Education white paper and conversations have been taking place within the House of Lords regarding the challenges that construction jobs present. We are in discussion with an organisation regarding what green jobs actually mean and re-training people that are transitioning from one career to another, there is a project we’ll be involved in with the Learning & Work Institute who are providing some funding for this project, so hopefully this will mean that we have some live activity that could sit alongside our policy work.

Decision:

• Board Members noted the report.

Action:

• Officers to undertake analysis work in relation to examples of gateway councils and councils working with young people.