Agenda item

*RESOLVED –

1.   That the Skills Action Plan, as detailed in Appendix A to the officer’s report, be approved.

2.   That the budget request of £5,000 for the year 2017/18 be approved and taken from the council’s reserves to support the activities outlined in the Skills Action Plan 2017 - 2020 be approved.

REASON FOR DECISIONS

A Skills Action Plan will provide a platform from which to deliver activity to improve the skills profile of Chesterfield and to maximise the impact of skill related programmes. The operating budget requested will enable the activity detailed in the report to be delivered.

The Economic Growth Manager submitted a report to recommend adoption of the Chesterfield Borough Council Skills Action Plan 2017 - 2020.

The report noted that £700m plus of key developments were due to enter the delivery phase in 2017. Along with the estimated 4000 new jobs which could be created in the next five years as a result of these developments, a highly skilled work force would be required to deliver the greatest economic benefits to the area. The Skills Action Plan would provide the platform from which the activity required to improve Chesterfield’s skills profile and maximise the benefits of newly created jobs for local people could be delivered.

The report noted that, compared to other leading industrialised nations, the UK was falling behind in productivity levels, with around 20% of the UK’s productivity gap being attributable to low skill levels amongst the workforce. In addition, there were local issues relevant to Chesterfield:

·        Chesterfield has fewer people with higher level qualifications and more people with no qualifications than the national average;

·        Rates of youth unemployment and residents in receipt of out of work benefits were notably higher than regional and national averages.

The report advised that improving the skills and work readiness of individuals in Chesterfield was vital to ensure that local people could fully benefit from the jobs and economic growth opportunities that would result from the multi-million pound investments being made in Chesterfield. It was noted that having a skilled workforce was crucial to the future economic success of the Borough. The main objectives of the Skills Action Plan were to:

·        Work with partners to ensure local people and businesses have the right skills to access current and future employment opportunities;

·        Work with Local Enterprise Partnerships and education partners to ensure that skills provision is aligned to future jobs growth and economic opportunities from emerging sectors;

·        Provide clear advice and support to local people and businesses about the range of skills programmes available.

The report noted the benefits the Skills Action Plan would bring to Chesterfield which included:

·        Ensuring that Chesterfield continued to perform well in attracting funding from Local Enterprise Partnership funded programmes;

·        Ensuring that local people benefit from investment within the borough;

·        Enabling activity that seeks to address emerging skills gaps across priority sectors.

The report outlined the role of partners in delivering the objectives set out in the Skills Action Plan. The financial implications of delivering the outputs of the Skills Action Plan were also detailed in the report. 

*RESOLVED –

1.   That the Skills Action Plan, as detailed in Appendix A to the officer’s report, be approved.

2.   That the budget request of £5,000 for the year 2017/18 be approved and taken from the council’s reserves to support the activities outlined in the Skills Action Plan 2017 - 2020 be approved.

REASON FOR DECISIONS

A Skills Action Plan will provide a platform from which to deliver activity to improve the skills profile of Chesterfield and to maximise the impact of skills related programmes. The operating budget requested will enable the activity detailed in the report to be delivered.