Minutes:
The Senior Economic Development Officer presented an update to the committee on the Skills Action Plan refresh. A key objective of the Plan was to ensure that residents had the skills they needed to take advantage of economic growth in the town. The Plan would be aligned with the Council Plan and the Growth Strategy.
A number of consultation exercises had been completed following the previous scrutiny workshop including:
· Skills and Employability Conference;
· an engagement group in Staveley involving 30 young people from Springwell and Netherthorpe Schools;
· an Employer Round Table event at Chesterfield Football Club; and
· University of Sheffield research project, involving masters students investigating recruitment challenges, in conjunction with ten businesses.
The findings of the consultation work suggested a number of areas of focus for the updated action plan. Youth unemployment had improved during the pandemic but was increasing again. Employers continued invest in training and upskilling their staff, which presented an opportunity to signpost organisations to funding support available. High job vacancy rates were evident but businesses faced recruitment challenges and it was acknowledged that there were differences in employers’ expectations versus candidates expectations which would need to be balanced. Apprenticeships had been impacted by the growth in low-skilled higher paid jobs available and there was continued demand for Green and Digital Skills.
The role of Chesterfield Borough Council (CBC) was seen as that of a conduit, to continue leading on skills acquisition by facilitating skills events, signposting employers and workers to available resources, engaging in partnerships and building on the successes of its Local Labour activity.
The Committee heard that Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIP) were under development and that each Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) would be required to have one. The LSIP aimed to be more responsive to local labour demands and involve employers more. It would cover a three-year period and be predominantly focussed on post 16 employability. There was a clear expectation that cross-cutting themes such as digital skills would be a priority. The themes of CBC’s Skills Action Plan should enable the council to engage with and complement the new LSIP.
The forthcoming introduction of the East Midlands Mayoral Combined Authority involved the devolution of some skills and education provision, predominantly training for over 19s, which would be important to support upskilling employees in the region. The details of the devolution deal had not been confirmed but reference had been made to how the Combined Authority would work strategically with the Department for Work and Pensions.
The committee was reminded of the planned projects that formed part of the Staveley Town Deal, including the Construction Skills Hub and the Derbyshire Rail Industry Innovation Vehicle (DRIIVe). An investment plan had been submitted to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) in July and had been successful in securing funds for future skills development, to replace European Social Fund (ESF) monies that would end in 2024/25. This would help to support the economically inactive cohort and align with the Derbyshire County Council Multiply initiative.
Discussion took place around industry sectors that have entry level jobs accessible to young people, such as hospitality, and whether any emphasis was placed on these, as this could offer multiple benefits ie by reducing youth unemployment but also stimulating the town centre economy. The Senior Economic Development Officer advised that CBC works with partners to focus skills delivery and provided examples where this has worked particularly well, such as the new Subway store that had opened in the town centre and the Premier Inn at the site of the former department store on Elder Way. The University of Derby were leading on a focus on jobs in the Care Sector which was acknowledged as an area of high demand.
RESOLVED –
1. That the update be noted.
2. That a further update be brought to the committee once the draft action plan was available as a draft document.