Agenda and minutes

Members of the public are welcome to attend our meetings to watch them in person at any of the venues across the County. Publicly accessible meetings held in County Hall will be webcast, which means they are available to be watched live or recorded on our website. Please see our webcasting notice here. The Committee may, in certain circumstances, resolve to hold part of the meeting in private. If this is the case, you will be required to leave the meeting.

Venue: Committee Room 'D' - The Henry Bolingbroke Room, County Hall, Preston. View directions

Contact: Holly Tween  Tel: 01772 537955 Email:  holly.tween@lancashire.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Welcome and Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting. Apologies for absence had been received from Joanne Pickering, Lindsay Campbell and Martin Kelly.

 

It was noted that Andy Wood had tendered his resignation from the Committee. The Chair would formally send the Committee's thanks to Andy for his contribution to the work of the Committee. Discussions would be held with the LEP Board about a replacement member.

2.

Declarations of Interest

Minutes:

Bev Robinson, Steve Gray and Amanda Melton declared an interest in the ESF item as their organisations were involved in the consortiums delivering the ESF activity.

3.

Minutes of the meeting held on 18 October 2017 pdf icon PDF 116 KB

Minutes:

Resolved: that the minutes of the meeting on 18 October 2017 are confirmed as an accurate record and signed by the Chair.

4.

Matters Arising

Minutes:

It was noted that Michele had met with Andrew Bridge from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB). The report and recommendations were being revised, and the final report would be circulated shortly.

 

Michele and Amanda had agreed to attend the next BBL School Improvement Board, but were still awaiting a date.

 

An update on the Skills and Employment Board activity had been presented to the LEP Board in November. An update would be taken to the LEP Board twice a year.

5.

ESFA Project Extension Scoping Exercise

Minutes:

At this point the Committee approved that the meeting move into Part II, Private and Confidential, to consider the items which contained exempt information provided in confidence as defined in the Freedom of Information Act 2000. It was considered that in all the circumstances of the case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information.

 

The Committee discussed the proposed options (previously circulated to members) regarding the potential extensions to the ESF projects currently contracted under the ESFA opt-in.

 

Resolved:

 

1.  That the proposed options for each project as set out in the report be submitted to the ESFA

 

2.  That authority be delegated to the Skills and Employment Board ESIF Committee members Amanda Melton and Paul Holme to approve recommendations regarding extensions from the Skills and Employment Board to the ESIF Committee, should they be required prior to the next formal meeting

6.

learndirect - Skills Support for the Workforce

Presentation from Andy Palmer, CEO, and Rebecca Bridges, Associate Director

Minutes:

Andy Palmer, CEO of learndirect, and Rebecca Bridges, Associate Director, presented an update on business performance and an overview of performance against the ESF opt-in project, Skills Support for the Workforce.

 

It was noted that a monitoring report had been published following the appeal against the Ofsted inspection, that the organisation had been reshaped, and Andy gave reassurance that the company was a going concern.

 

Andy highlighted learndirect's strong supply chain in Lancashire, and noted that new relationships were being developed. Recent figures showed over 4000 learners had been engaged and around 480 employers, with a 93% achievement rate. Masterclasses had been held with SMEs, and development was underway for an apprenticeship in textiles.

 

Andy and Rebecca were thanked for their presentation.

 

Resolved: That learndirect would circulate a link to their case studies on their YouTube channel

 

The meeting then returned to Part 1 of the agenda (items publicly available)

7.

Up-date from the Lancashire Skills & Employment Hub pdf icon PDF 1 MB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Michele Lawty-Jones, Lancashire Skills Hub, presented the update report on the Skills and Employment Hub's activities and highlighted the following:

 

The 100th sign up to the Lancashire Enterprise Adviser Network was imminent and press coverage was being planned.

 

A Priority 3 Delivery Group had been established in the Blackpool Opportunity Area and had met for the first time. The Committee was keen to discuss the Blackpool Opportunity Delivery Plan, and suggested it could be a subject for a future meeting.

 

Feedback was awaited on the application appraisals for the Priority 2.2 Skills for Growth call.  The appraisal of the stage 1 Priority 2.1 Skills for Growth Leadership and Management submission had been completed by DWP and had been sent to the ESIF committee members for comment on strategic fit.

 

The launch of the National Young Apprenticeship Ambassador Network had taken place on 16 November and had been well attended. Links had been made with the North West Employer and Young Ambassador networks, and funding was now being sought to develop the network further. It was commented that apprenticeships needed to be encouraged and promoted, and it was suggested that the Committee could link with National Apprenticeship Week, perhaps to sponsor an event or award for Lancashire to encourage apprenticeship engagement locally. There was discussion relating to the impact of the Apprenticeship Reforms and the dip in starts nationally following the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy.  It was suggested that apprenticeships could be discussed at the informal meeting.

 

The notes from the ABR Implementation Group were sent to committee members the day before the meeting and a hard copy provided at the meeting.  It was noted that the FE Commissioner had initiated a Structure and Prospects Appraisal for Accrington and Rossendale College, and that evaluation of any merger proposals received would be completed by the end of January. The group recommended to the committee that the Implementation Group be disbanded as the group had completed the task regarding the development of the non-structural recommendations action plan, and that progress against the plan be reported on a six monthly basis. The Committee agreed.

 

Resolved:

 

1.  That the Blackpool Opportunity Area Delivery Plan be added as a discussion item to a future meeting

 

2.  That Apprenticeships be added as a discussion item to the next informal meeting

 

3.  That the ABR Implementation Group be disbanded and that progress against the non-structural recommendations action plan be reported on a six monthly basis to the committee

8.

Technical Education Vision pdf icon PDF 62 KB

Presentation from Simon Pringle and Fiona Tuck from SDG

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Simon Pringle and Fiona Tuck from SDG presented an update on the technical education vision, including the draft framework.

 

The Committee considered the presentation and made the following comments:

·  Some unemployed young people may not be coming from school or employment – a method of reaching these people should be considered

·  Some language could be confusing e.g. difference between vocational and technical education – need to ensure employers and learners understand the terminology

·  In the core objectives, explicit reference could be made to the move from supplier driven to employer driven delivery

·  It may be helpful to have a workshop to consider how to fit this framework with the other LEP and local strategies

 

Simon and Fiona were thanked for all their work.

 

Resolved: that the comments as noted above are incorporated in the developing framework.

9.

Technical Education – Implementation of the Vision

Minutes:

At this point the Committee approved that the meeting move into Part II, Private and Confidential, to consider the items which contained exempt information provided in confidence as defined in the Freedom of Information Act 2000. It was considered that in all the circumstances of the case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information.

 

Michele outlined the report circulated regarding the proposed collaboration with the Gatsby Foundation. The Committee discussed the proposal. It was commented that the post may be in place before the technical education vision had been finalised; however, it was noted that Gatsby had a great deal of experience, and there was agreement that the collaboration and added capacity would be welcome.

 

Resolved:

 

1.  That the proposed collaboration with the Gatsby Foundation be agreed, and that Michele and Amanda progress the arrangements, sharing information with the Committee as it progressed

 

2.  That Michele circulate the full proposal to the Committee

 

The meeting then returned to Part 1 of the agenda (items publicly available)

10.

Reporting to the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership

  Identification and agreement of any recommendations for consideration/approval by the LEP Board.

 

  Identification and agreement of issues for inclusion in the feedback report for the LEP Board.

 

Minutes:

None.

11.

Any Other Business

Minutes:

Dean Langton updated the Committee on the current position of the proposed Combined Authority.

 

It was noted that Dean would be leaving the Committee shortly. The Committee expressed their thanks for his contribution to the work of the Lancashire Skills and Employment Board.

12.

Date of Next Meeting

The next formal meeting will be held at 8.00am on Wednesday 11 April 2018 in Committee Room D (The Henry Bolingbroke Room), County Hall, Preston.

 

An informal meeting is scheduled for 8.00am Wednesday 07 February 2018 at Lancashire Adult Learning, Northlight (Brierfield Mill).

Minutes:

The next formal meeting was scheduled for 8.00am on Wednesday 11 April 2018 in Committee Room D (The Henry Bolingbroke Room), County Hall, Preston.

 

An informal meeting was scheduled for 8.00am on Wednesday 07 February 2018 at Lancashire Adult Learning, Northlight (Brierfield Mill).