Skills East Sussex Minutes 14 November 2024
Skills East Sussex Minutes 14 November 2024
Meeting details
Skills East Sussex Board Meeting
Thursday 14th November 2024 10:00 – 12:00
Online via Teams
Attendees and apologies
|
Attendee |
Name |
Organisation, Role |
|
JH |
James Harris |
ESCC, Assistant Director - Economy |
|
AP |
Andrew Pritchard |
Bexhill College, Assistant Principal |
|
BC |
Bruce Campbell |
DWP, Partnerships Team |
|
CW |
Claire Witz |
Sussex Chamber Skills Lead - LSIP |
|
CllrSt |
Cllr Bob Standley |
ESCC Councillor, Lead Member for Education and Inclusion and SEND |
|
CllrCa |
Cllr Penny di Cara |
ESCC Councillor, Lead Member for Economy |
|
CG |
Craig Garton |
CXK, Director of Operations and Quality |
|
DK |
Dan Karlsson |
Plumpton College, Head of Business Services |
|
DH |
Donna Harfield |
East Sussex College Group, Vice Principal, Business Development |
|
GPi |
Gary Pike |
DWP, Service Leader for East Sussex |
|
GT |
Geraldine Turton |
University of Sussex, Head of Apprenticeships |
|
IN |
Ian Noble |
Uckfield Chamber of Commerce, Chamber Director |
|
JD |
Jude Day |
SCDA, Employability Programme Manager |
|
JB |
Julie Barker |
Independent Consultant, Chair, Visitor Economy Task Group |
|
KB |
Kim Byford |
Talent Accelerator, Project Director / Co-Chair Creative, Cultural, Digital, Media Task Group |
|
MP |
Melanie Powell |
Rother District Council, Regeneration Officer |
|
PSh |
Penny Shimmin |
SCDA, Chief Executive |
|
SSt |
Sally Staples |
ESCC Culture Team, Team Manager – Culture and Tourism / Co-Chair Creative, Cultural, Digital, media Task Group |
|
SSe |
Steve Sefton |
University of Brighton, Business Development Advisor (Apprenticeships) |
|
VP |
Vanessa Potter |
SCTP, Director |
|
VC |
Victoria Conheady |
Hastings Borough Council, Deputy Chief Executive |
|
Apologies |
||
|
BS |
Becky Shaw |
ESCC, Chief Executive |
|
CM |
Caroline Merchant |
University of Sussex, Business Development Manager - Apprenticeships |
|
CBe |
Chris Bending |
Wealden District Council, Director of Place |
|
CE |
Christina Ewbank |
Eastbourne Chamber of Commerce, Chief Executive Eastbourne Chamber of Commerce |
|
DW |
Dan Wahnon |
Marshall Tufflex, Chair, Engineering and Manufacturing Task Group |
|
DGarn |
Diana Garnham |
Skills East Sussex Board CHAIR |
|
GPe |
Graeme Pedlingham |
University of Sussex, Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the Student Experience |
|
KM |
Kathy Martyn |
University of Brighton, SSHS Apprenticeships, Technical Education and Flexible Learning Lead / Chair, Health & Social Care Task Group). |
|
PSm |
Pauline Smith |
CXK, Chief Executive |
|
RC |
Rebecca Conroy |
East Sussex College Group, Principal |
|
SM |
Scott Monk |
GM Monk, Chair, Construction and Built Environment Task Group |
|
Secretariat |
||
|
CB |
Caroline Bragg |
Employability and Skills Strategy Manager, ESCC |
|
HA |
Holly Aquilina |
Employability and Skills Strategy Manager, ESCC |
|
HB |
Hannah Brookshaw |
Partnerships and Projects Manager, ESCC |
|
AM |
Amy Morris |
Partnerships and Projects Officer, ESCC |
Actions arising from this meeting
Actions from this meeting, 14th November 2024
|
ACTION |
LEAD |
DUE BY / STATUS |
|
Action 1: DHa will supply breakdown of numbers in each age group for apprenticeships for students at ESCG. |
DHa |
ASAP |
|
Action 2: IN to discuss potential survey on behalf of SES to better understand Employers thoughts on recruitment from a diverse pool with HA. Issue to be explored further at next SES meeting. |
IN / HA |
30/01/25 |
|
Action 3: Questionnaire feedback so people can share thoughts - we will then give a summary of any responses at the next SES board meeting. |
Secretariat |
Survey shared 20/11/24 |
|
Action 4: All invited to email HA if they want to pursue lobbying activity re Trailblazers. |
All |
ASAP |
1. Welcome, Introductions and Apologies
1.1 JH welcomed everyone to the meeting. JH is chairing meeting on behalf of DGarn.
1.2 Apologies noted.
2. SES Operations
Minutes of last meeting
2.1 The minutes of the previous meeting were approved.
2.2 Updates on previous actions:
JH All ESCC actions completed.
VC spoke with colleagues in Public Health regarding ESHT inequalities board action.
Task group highlights
2.3 HB shared a presentation on the SES Highlights, based on extracts from the SES Board Members’ Update Report and the six SES priorities. Presentation attached with the minutes.
2.4 JH Stated that there were good examples of progress on the work that happens outside of these meetings on behalf of Skills East Sussex.
2.5 CllrCa – Noted that she was incredibly impressed by the amount of work being done.
2.6 JH - Some great examples of how we are able to deliver impressive projects and programmes due to external funding that has been secured by the Employment and Skills Team and partners.
3. 3. Emerging government skills and employment policy and funds
3.1 HA and CB shared a presentation ‘What does new and emerging national employment and skills policy mean for East Sussex? Presentation attached with minutes.
3.2 HA asked the group to consider, what should SES be trying to influence? Which opportunities should SES be seizing? Are there gaps or issues that we need to plan for?
16–19-year-old provision
3.3 AP – Presentation from Bexhill College to be shared with minutes (AP had technical difficulties during the meeting).
3.4 DK – Shared a presentation on an overview of Plumpton College. Presentation attached with minutes.
3.4 DHa ESCG – Offer from the college has not radically changed. The college serves five of the priority sectors and has a good reach across a broad range of subjects and areas.
ESCG is now working with University of East Anglia for degree accreditation making sure there is a robust offer for degrees across East Sussex as there is no university in the county.
There has been growth in T levels and A levels in Eastbourne. There has also been growth in specialist provision. Marine biology course offered in Newhaven is an example of this. ESCG is working on building provision with Rampion Wind Farm, an apprenticeship in wind energy is in development. ESCG has also developed critical partnerships with Charleston with co-located classroom in Lewes and Racquet Studios (digital streaming). A Rail simulation suite is providing opportunities for students studying rail engineering courses.
Enterprise advisors are channelling key messaging on importance of maths and english. Maths and english qualifications are often a barrier to success so the more we get support on champion the importance for all courses the better.
There are still several areas to be confirmed with policy and funding changes. The introduction of fees for those with means to pay has challenges for wider uptake of adults enrolling on courses locally.
Apprenticeship age profiles are evenly split with around 50% 16-19years and 50% 19 plus years. This is a different profile to Plumpton.
AI training for business has just been introduced as a result of work with the LSIP.
Action 1: DHa will supply breakdown of numbers in each age group for apprenticeships for students at ESCG.
Discussion on the presentations:
3.5 MP asked ‘Does Plumpton work with Hadlow College?’ DK we do collaborate with Hadlow, the pool of students who have the aspiration in the sector is small. We have a strategic partnership as there is no point competing. Same applies at Brinsbury College in West Sussex.
3.6 VC noted that the industrial is strategy not wholly relevant to the East Sussex economy. SES and colleges have spent time aligning curricula to needs of the county, it would be a shame to adjust that to fit government policy. We have realigned to the green economy in terms of green skills as we know this is a huge are of growth. How do we influence so we don’t lose those opportunities, should we lobby to be one of the eight trailblazers as East Sussex or wider old LEP area? HA noted that she is trying to find out if the Trailblazers have already been decided as suspects that Mayoral Combined Areas may be chosen to deliver them.
3.7 HA asked ‘Are there areas within the industrial strategy that would be good for us to explore – e.g. lots of opportunity in upskilling in green skills. We need to voice that the strategy omits some of our key sectors, which aren’t growth sectors but they are sectors that are needed for East Sussex. Also, some elements missed in the industrial strategy are accounting for the impact of AI on human-centric sectors/roles. Team East Sussex is compiling a response to the strategy and SES partners have been invited to submit their thoughts.
3.8 SSt –identifying creative industries as a priority sector is a positive, however there is a challenge. The Creative and Policy and Evidence Centre has identified London and SE as a creative super cluster. Concern is that investment in cultural sector going anywhere but here (East Sussex). Response is to highlight that that the super cluster has many micro clusters. Each full of SME where each one is a potential scale up business and growth opportunity. Language in industrial strategy over proportional growth of big industry, which leave behind freelance work force and visitor economy. Risk to visitor economy at risk from new inheritance tax and NI rules, and we are going lose business. The growth challenge in this sector has now got even harder.
3.9 CG the challenge for the area in relation to Careers and DWP restructures is about where the provision needs to be. Who are the cohorts who aren’t accessing provision and why? We need to focus on who can’t access mainstream provision and what we can do differently.
3.10 CW LSIP has twice monthly meetings with Skills England, feeding skills information into post-16 strategy work, but also into the Skills England skills advisory board. If there are things that we want feeding into those meetings please send information to CW. The LSIP cannot lobby but can feed in.
3.11 KB – Coastal catalyst project is running across Sussex, so interested in devolution around skills and working together to create pathways between different parts of the skills infrastructure in a way that helps young people where they live rather than expecting them to come to us. DLWP are having conversations with the Arts Council around skills and skills provision around creative and cultura sector and can feed in nationally via that route.
3.12 DHa noted that there is an opportunity for creative local smaller scale and micro business in our region. It has been a challenge to launch creative production apprenticeship course, we have not been able to get buy in from employers. It is a new apprenticeship offer in the region for production assistant. Working with De La Warr Pavilion feel that T-level might be a better route, due to placement offering a lower commitment the employing an apprentice.
3.13 DK –It is important that our young learners can access the provision that they want. The Skills Capital Grant has gone some way to provide mobile delivery, along with the development of a site in Eastbourne in partnership with Education Futures Trust. Some learners (16 years) spend 2 hrs on a coach in-order to study at Plumpton, which they must pay towards. Investment in new types of delivery, online and mobile bring provision to people. Transport is and will continue to be a barrier for young people to access training they want or need.
Adult skills & learning
3.14 VP – shared a presentation from SCTP on ‘Adult skills & learning? Presentation attached with minutes.
3.15 VP How can we encourage more adult learners to engage in personal skills and investment and encourage employers to invest in staff. Current landscape in East Sussex 46% of adults are low skilled with qualifications level 3 and below. The county has lower then national average pay with high housing costs, both rental and purchasing. Businesses are in a challenging environment with minimum wage and NI contributions increasing this will impact on capacity and ability to invest in people and skills.
How do we encourage and enable employers to think about current workforce and what they should be doing to invest in employees? Including, thinking about recruitment and taking the risk to hire someone who with the right training and upskilling will be a great fit for their business.
Opportunities with developing the skills offer, and promotion of local provision to leaners and businesses, including Connect to work, Skills Bootcamps and reform to the health and disability benefits system. How can we incentivise and support employers to invest in future skills?
3.15 CG presented an update on Adult Skills and Learning from CXK. New jobs and careers service announced by incoming government, merging National Careers Service (NCS) and Job Centre Plus. NCS is an outcome-based service, payment by results. How do we make the service local and relevant to communities? Still unclear what opportunities to influence the new service will be, but we should take any opportunities to feedback.
Current contract for CXC to deliver NCS to September 2025. If we don’t get a trailblazer in this area, there are still opportunities as a group to do a test and learn and collaborate and think about what could be coming in the white paper, and how we can we respond locally. Opportunities to change what we are currently delivering locally and how is it delivered to align. CXK are engaged with DfE and have asked where trailblazer will be and have highlighted that it shouldn’t be Mayoral Combined Authorities only.
Youth doesn’t change much in how careers are delivered. We haven’t had a national careers strategy since 2017, only the industrial strategy recently reviewed. Current gaps in careers strategy include lack of tying the youth careers offer to the adult careers offer to make sure there isn’t a disconnect. CXK are advocating this and highlighting this gap to DfE in meetings.
New national youth strategy announced this week. 85 million of government funding and 100 million from dormant assets schemes to be used in Youth offering. Youth Services are very important, social isolation can be a reason for young people being unemployed so how we appoint those services is important, linking to current provision and careers offering.
3.16 CB noted that there is an expectation that DfE will digest the 10-year Gatsby Review (published on 18th Nov) and review Careers Strategy based on this.
3.17 PS – noted that people who are disadvantaged in the labour market and who are economically inactive are the focus of SCDA. The numbers are significant and there are significant links to health and wellbeing. Especially with mental health and musculoskeletal. SCDA working with occupational health services to support people with health issues into work.
Another issue is the lack of bridging funding between current programmes that are ending and what is emerging in April 2025. ESF funded programmes have stopped. This not only impacts people in East Sussex, but a skilled workforce nationally that is trained to deliver this provision.
Focus on government on people getting into work and sustaining them in those jobs. We need to be working with employers and ensuring capacity to deliver these types of jobs. Hopefully the upcoming white paper will give us the strategic framework to move this forward.
What are the opportunities for SES for LA area to be a youth or employment support trailblazer? What is going to be the connect to work opportunity and how do we mobilise this quickly, as there is currently a gap in provision. USPF going to district and boroughs, how do we ensure that we are working collaboratively to ensure we don’t work in a post code lottery of provision?
3.18 JH noted that ESCC is well prepared for Connect to Work and said that HA had been on the DWP working group to support its design, but recognised that there is a potential gap in terms of youth provision.
3.19 DK – Skills England first report highlighted key points. Investment in training has been in steady decline, and currently at the lowest level since 2011. Investment per employee is down 19% in real terms. A lot is being done to fund training; however, it falls on training provider to collect evidence to show proper use of funds, in some cases this stops a training provider in wanting to engage in funding pool. An example of this is Bootcamps, required evidence is significant and is a barrier to training providers.
Financial incentive for employees to take on a young person as an apprentice, post covid, saw a spike in the number of 16-18y olds being hired as apprentices in a trajectory that has been in decline. We don’t talk enough about the exemption in NI for taking on a young person under 25, not enough being done to incentivise business to take the risk hiring a young person. High percentage of micro business in East Sussex mean focus is on hitting payroll to support the team they have, and so more needs to be done in financial incentives and value to an employer in taking on the risk of a young or less experienced person.
3.20 JH – asked ‘what is the ability of chambers and federation of small business to support this specific barrier for micro and SME businesses?’
3.21 IN Agreed that employers need to be incentivised to take risks. Would it be helpful to run a survey across the chambers in East Sussex and FSB to check with micro businesses if they would be willing to take that risk? HA added that a better understanding of Employers views on recruiting and diversifying their workforce would be valuable.
Action 2: IN to discuss potential survey on behalf of SES to better understand Employers thoughts on recruitment from a diverse pool with HA. Issue to be explored further at next SES meeting.
JH – We want to make sure everyone has the opportunity to share their views on the discussion items raised so we will follow up after the meeting with a survey to capture any additional thoughts.
Action 3: Questionnaire feedback so people can share thoughts - we will then give a summary of any responses at the next SES board meeting.
4. LSIP & DWP update
4.1 CW –The LSIP ran workshops on Future Skills and Inclusive pathways into employment, outcomes and actions can here found here Conversation | Future Skills Sussex including presentations from the events.
Annual data review is currently in progress. Third annual business survey has just been sent out, including questions ‘how are you investing in your workforce?’ and ‘What are you prepared to invest?’. It is collected on a whole Sussex basis, but we will be able to drill the data down to a district and borough level. Also conducting a skills provider survey. Working with Sussex Learning Network on mapping and survey CIAG (service users and providers) this will be added to the data collected last year so comparisons and trends can be looked at.
The LSIP is meeting with upper tier local authority to talk about how we can be updating the area skills conversation, challenges, gaps what is being worked on currently.
Conversations with Skills England and LSIP. LSIF have moved over into the shadow Skills England teams and waiting on news on further funding after 2025 for both LSIP and LSIFS. CW will report back on any updates.
4.2 BC shared an update from the DWP. Currently in process of transitioning people from legacy benefits to Universal Credit (UC). The significance of this to this group is historically most of those people would not have had any work requirements or conditionality attached to those claims, but they potentially will do under UC. What skills and provision are needed to move them towards work in the local labour market, these are new conversations that haven’t previously happened. DWP currently undertaking analysis to inform conversations with partners about what people who are unemployed and on UC need to move into the labour market. At next meeting DWP can give a more in-depth update about what Work Coaches are finding are some of the barriers to work for people unemployed claiming UC.
High levels of NEETs and increase in numbers of NEETS, DWP aren’t seeing an increase in those people coming into the service claiming UC when they hit 18. Where are they going? Are they economically inactive if not claiming? Noted that the DWP offices should be getting an increase in number of young adults that when we do have more information about new provision, they won’t have access to it as we don’t know where they are.
4.3 JH thanked SES members and presenters and noted that timings were tight for coverage of big topics. Members suggested adding time to meeting length in case required. JH noted that more time for follow up discussions on the themes raised at the next SES.
5. Forward Plan & AOB
5.1 JH Noted that there will be a separate meeting for Connect to Work in January and advised members to keep an eye out for more information.
5.2 HA noted that lobbying re trail blazers, will need to be undertaken with haste if there is still an opportunity to do so (if funds not allocated to MCAS already).
Action 4: All invited to email HA if they want to pursue lobbying activity re Trailblazers.
Forward plan items: NEET provision, Employer Engagement, Further discussions on new government policy.
Next meeting: 30th January 2025, 2.00pm-4.30pm (online)