Creative and Digital Task Group minutes: 10 March 2022

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Meeting details

Date: Thursday 10 March 2022

Time: 10am to 11.30am

Location: Microsoft Teams

See the list of attendees and apologies for this meeting.

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Actions arising from this meeting and previous

Actions from 9th November 2021

Number	Description	Responsible/Lead
1	All to send ideas about how to encourage technicians to support learning (as educators) or vice versa – helping educators understand the sector better	HA/ALL
2	Anyone interested in participating in a cross sector working group on this issue (technicians in education) to notify HA	ALL
3	All to feed in thoughts about activities that contributes to the 6 priorities when requested by secretariat	HA/Members
4	For more information about: Moving On Up! - SCTP contact DW via the website. Contact both Moving on Up and the Careers Hub enterprisecoordinator@eastsussex.gov.uk with vacancies.	DW/VPo
5	Anyone interested in becoming an industry champion, host a small group of students to visit their workplace and help promote careers in schools contact enterprisecoordinator@eastsussex.gov.uk	RFr
6	Anyone able to help develop Maths Resources with ideas and scenarios showing how Maths is used in their businesses contact the Careers Hub at enterprisecoordinator@eastsussex.gov.uk	RFr
7	WC requested that libraries be put on the geographical map	RiF
8	SS to contact DW to discuss in greater depth how to have more contact with businesses	SS/DW

Actions from 10th March 2022

1	Seek eligible vacancies for Moving on Up programme, get in touch with eligible vacancies/candidates for Moving on Up	VPo/Employers
2	Contact HA with input for the LSIP (Local Skills Improvement Plan)	HA/All

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1. Welcome and minutes of last meeting

JP welcomed all to the meeting and requested that his name and business name be corrected from the original draft issued to members. The final draft minutes published to the internet had been amended in December 2022.

Margaret Sheehy asked to be added to the attendee list.

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2. Member updates around the room

JP – advised that his business had been cloned.  Enquiries are coming in, particularly for larger projects.

JB – confirmed his business was quite buoyant.

WC – Larger businesses in Eastbourne are getting good recruitment with some good staff being poached.  TechResort ran an event in Eastbourne getting digital businesses together.

SW – introduced herself as one of the account managers at East Sussex College and looking forward to working with the group.

SD – a lot going on within the cultural partners.  Sussex Modern has raised just over £1,000,000 for Sussex Modern campaign specifically linked to certain parts of the region.  De La Warr Pavilion is only open 5 days a week due to staffing issues.  The job fair at the end of March is scheduled.

MS – advised that they were not successful in getting the funding discussed at the last meeting.  Historic England has a small pot of money looking at working class histories.  Looking for new sources matched funding for other bids for various projects.  Discussed HI3 project and is looking for partners.

DW – provided an update on the LSIP, the report will be sent off on the 31st March.  It does include some recommendations for this task group.  Still vacancies for the Moving on Up program.

VP – discussed various programmes employers with vacancies.  Apprenticeship Road Shows through Transform which was an opportunity for employers to advertise any vacancies:

• Hasting White Rock Theatre 20th June
• Eastbourne Devonshire Park Quarter, Welcome Centre 6th July
• Transform Project helping SME’s find apprenticeship and training provision
• Moving on Up helping people living in temporary accommodation

CO – discussed a project management program called Luna which is being launched late March.

JP – commented he had recently recruited an employee from Paraguay.

Action 1 – contact VP with any vacancies suitable for Moving on Up

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3. Skills East Sussex Priorities update

HA – provided an update on the six priorities for 2021 - 2030.

The areas of focus to date were:

• Putting the “A” into STEAM Fest
• Designing and building Talent Accelerator
• Modular Apprenticeship/ATA model explored

SBu – introduced himself and provided a brief overview of his experience and gave an update on what he has been doing so far:  

• Annual ToR review/reflection on initiatives to date
• Confirm links with FE/HE following staff changes

 

The proposed action was:

• Support educations providers get the technical skills they need to teach
• Working with HE graduates to keep them in the area
• Talent Accelerator programme. SD gave an overview of the programme.

HA – asked whether the proposed actions were right and if there should be any others.  Following discussion, it was agreed there could be a fourth action that could be considered.

 

JB – highlighted the amount of self-learners that do not realise they have skills that employers want and therefore do not have access to the jobs.

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4. Levelling up White Paper Overview

SS - gave a provided an overview. 

Key points:

• The important role that culture plays
• Additional investment going into the Arts Council but only in the Eastbourne area
• Investment will go straight to District and Borough Councils.
• Sussex is launching a culture priority pipeline later in the year

HA – advised that Sussex will become an Education Investment Area, there are only 55 in the country, mentioned the possibility of having additional six form colleges in the county.  There is also a big overhaul of adult skills.  The various projects that were in the pipeline were discussed.

MS – asked about the community renewal fund.  HA – confirmed that the Kickstart programme was coming to an end but it was hoped students could be moved onto apprenticeships.

 

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5. Labour Market Information (LMI) update

Due to time over run on the meeting, the presentation from SBu was sent out after meeting. 

The presentation includes a labour market information update: claimant count and the figures for each area, county update, job trends and job trend headlines.

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6. Careers Hub Update

Recap on how employers can reach out to young people:

• Careers Hub – Enterprise Advisors, there are vacancies at the moment.
• Industry Champions – actively recruitment at the moment
• Open Doors – hosting a group of young people to visit employers premises. A successful November event, also running an event in Spring.
• Work Experience – offers work placement to 15 – 18 year olds
• Steps to Success – for young people with issues
• Ican happening in Eastbourne on 30th June
• Road Shows – Face to Face – one in Hastings in June and one in Eastbourne in July
• Work Experience
• Enterprise Advisors
• Apprenticeships

Contact RFr for further information

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7. Local Skills Improvement Plan Consultation session

SBu would send the presentation pack out after the meeting due to reduced time. 

Key points covered in the slide presentation are:

Key Priorities

• Labour Market - to support employers to recruit, retain and retrain their workforce
• Skills Provision – ensure that the skills provision on offer in Sussex matches the skills needs of local businesses
• Sector Profile – build a profile and raise awareness of the key sectors to promote recruitment and retention
• Accessibility – ensure training and employment is accessible for all
• Skills Policy – Influence national and local policy change using an evidence-based approach

 Advised that LSIP should not and could not be implemented by one single organisation or network and discussed the various partners that needed to be included such as awarding bodies, education providers and their staff, DWP, NIESTA, community organisations, careers support organisations, local enterprise partnerships but, putting businesses and residents at the heart of what is done.

Discussed the improvement cycle framework for the Sussex area, which was similar to the usual framework used.

The Future Skills Sussex Conversation is all about centrally coordinating, monitoring and evaluating and the Sussex Chamber of Commerce was putting together a program called Future Skills, Sussex which would be reported to Government.  Through a central approach it is hoped to develop innovative skills projects which could include Skills Assessment and Psychometric testing tools, the development of a centralised modular course framework, green skills development and training clubs.

Providers were to build relationships with Sussex businesses to enable access to current tech and machinery. In return businesses would be able to access skills provision in a two-way beneficial relationship. 

There would be a coordinated and collaborative approach between education providers and employers which would support improving the labour market situation via informed job seekers, graduates and careers changes encouraged to live, work and learn in East Sussex.

There would be a centrally coordinated monitoring and evaluation of the Future Skills Sussex Improvements Framework which would be undertaken at regular intervals.

Action 2 –  input for the plan to be forwarded to HA

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8. Any Other Business

HA – welcomed Geraldine Turton who gave a brief overview of her experiences and current job as Apprenticeship Manager at Brighton University.

JP – advised that there is a need to have more employers on the group. 

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9. Date of next meeting

Scheduled for 7th June 2022, 2.30pm-4pm online.

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Attendees and apologies

Attendees

• JP, Julian Perrott , BarkWeb Limited, Task Group Chair

• CO, Catherine Orbach, Co-Director, Culture Shift

• DW, Dan Wallman, LSIP Digital Stakeholder Engagement Lead

• GT, Geraldine Turton, Apprenticeship Manager, Brighton University

• JB, James Brooklyn, Vocate Training

• JC, Jackie Church, Regional Manager, National Careers Service (CXK)

• MS, Margaret Sheehy, MSL Projects

• RFr, Ruth Francis, Effective Transitions Manager, Careers Hub ESCC

• SD, Stewart Drew, Director, De La Warr Pavilion

• SR, Sam Rhodes, Digital Inclusion Project Manager Libraries, ESCC

Apologies

• DM, Donnalyn Morris, Project Officer Employability and Skills, ESCC

• RB, Richard Beales, Artswork

• SH, Sarah Hinks, Careers Skills Lead, Culture Shift

Secretariat

• SG, Sue Gothard, Minute Taker ESCC – Minutes
• HA, Holly Aquilina, Employability and Skills Strategy Manager ESCC

• SBu, Stephen Burkes, Employability and Skills Project Manager, ESCC

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