Agenda item

Mr Thom and Ms Pates gave a presentation on the findings of the review of the Energy and Environmental Technologies (EET) sector in Lancashire which highlighted the following recommended actions.

Meeting the demand for skills.

Action 1 - Increase provision of short courses to address skills shortages in specific technical skills and encourage take up.

·  Short retaining courses which focus on specific technical shills which allow people with broad based engineering skills/experience to transfer across the EET and or become specialised in a technical area with skill shortages.

·  Short courses on softer skills such as project management and commercialisation.

·  Provision of taster courses on a very short term basis at no/low cost to encourage interest in specified areas.

·  Promotion of Post Graduate Certification courses to fill industry identified gaps.

Action 2 Apprenticeships – greater promotion and take up.

·  Greater promotion of the benefits of apprenticeships to young people in schools.

·  Encouraging large firms to work with their supply chains to expand the total number of apprentices recruited.

·  Encouraging larger employers to consider using higher level Apprenticeship models (including Degree Apprenticeships) to complement planned graduate recruitment.

·  Promoting to employers the flexibility built in to Apprenticeships and the development of Trailblazer Apprenticeship frameworks.

Sector attraction.

Action 3 - Improving awareness and attractiveness of the EET sector as a career choice, including for women.

·  Produce EET promotional materials on career opportunities in the sector and disseminate amongst schools, FE Colleges and universities.

·  FE/HE, employers and the LEP to participate and support school GCSE/A Level/Careers option days.

·  HE/FE providers to work with employers and schools to promote National Women in Engineering Day in 2016 to raise awareness of the opportunities for women in the sector.

Action 4 – Developing and promoting a coherent message about Lancashire as a place to work in the EET sector.

·  Develop a strong marketing message regarding the current strength and potential growth of the EET sector in Lancashire and run a local/regional marketing campaign with particular focus on mobile workers and experienced returners.

Sector intelligence.

Action 5 – Energy and Environmental Technologies Sector Skills Development Group

Use the existing Development Group to gather intelligence on employer needs, provide a co-ordinated response to skills gaps/changing needs, work with the LEP to engage with and influence national activities and lead cross LEP working on key issues/sub sectors.

The Supply System.

Action 6 - Introduce mechanisms to increase the number of FE staff teaching EET related subjects in Lancashire.

·  Create a pan Lancashire pool of EET employers who are willing to release staff to engage in the delivery of EET lectures/modules/courses.

·  Establish and deliver a marketing campaign to people who will soon be retiring from EET firms in Lancashire to engage in the delivery of the above lectures/modules/courses.

·  Create commercial courses (linked to Action 1 above) that are delivered by employers as contractors and where prices can be set accordingly.

Action 7 - Adjust FE and HE provision to better meet employers' needs.

·  Increase the student experience with industry via projects and placements to help encourage more graduates to go and work there on completion of their courses and give graduates work experience/business skills.

·  Adjust course curricula to better meet the needs of industry requirements.

In considering the report the Committee noted that retention of workers was an issue for the sector as many graduates left the County for jobs elsewhere that were perceived as being more attractive. It was also suggested that reference should be made in the report to the opportunities presented by data science and the proposed National Energy College. 

The low level of girls who took science as a subject at school or pursued a career in Science/Energy was also discussed and it was suggested that more needed to be done to encourage girls to take the subject and for women to pursue careers in the sector.

The Chair thanked Mr Thom and Ms Pates for the presentation.

Resolved: That the recommendations set out in the Sector Skills Action Plan for the Energy and Environmental Technologies Sector be noted and discussed in detail at the Away Day on the 28^th July 2015 with a view to informing the development of the Lancashire Skills and Employment Strategy.