Agenda item

Jasbir Jhas, Senior Adviser, introduced the paper which sought members’ views on LGA current and future potential employment and skills activities.

Members made the following points:

·         The LGA proposed employment programme for adults with multiple needs should incorporate many of the components of the successful Troubled Families programme. Unemployed people with mental health and learning difficulties should also be eligible for the programme.

·         Commenting on the draft Statement of Intent, members highlighted that functional economic areas were not discrete areas confined to one council..

·         Members discussed the possibility of combining job centres with town halls.

·         There were concerns that Government moves to give Further Education providers a unified adult skills unit through a block grant which will include adult and community learning could result in local authority adult education provision being reduced.

·         Compulsory learning for young people up to the age of 18 together with reductions in the Bursary Fund, designed to provide financial support for young people, are causing financial pressures on rural councils which are having to meet the shortfall. This needs to be taken up with Government officials..

Decisions

The Board noted the report and instructed officers to proceed in line with what was discussed.