Agenda item

Dr Michele Lawty-Jones, Director, Lancashire Skills and Employment Hub, and Joanna O'Donnell, Project Manager, Skills Bootcamps, presented a report (circulated) which provided an update on National Skills Fund: Skills Bootcamp and the ongoing progress this financial year, and future plans for the next financial year.

The key points were as follows:

Progress made this financial year:

·  146 learners enrolled on 12 Skills Bootcamp cohorts with another 16 cohorts due to run from January.

·  18 learners have subsequently completed the delivery stage and have been offered guaranteed interviews.

·  2 of those learners have been successful at interview.

·  Due to success so far, a further £100,000 has been allocated from the Department for Education which has allowed an opportunity for a further 2 Skills Bootcamps: 15 in Cyber Security and 15 in Digital marketing to begin in January.

·  Over 60 employers are aligning themselves with Skills Bootcamps and employer engagement is increasing.

·  Quality Assurance visits took place with 4 providers and it was clear that employers were fully engaged with the programme. Introduction of Ofsted to the programme from April 2023 will be a continuation of these Quality Assurance processes.

Proposal for the next financial year:

·  Potential providers have submitted pipeline forms which outline details of the programme they wish to undertake.

·  These have been collated and submitted to the Department for Education to form the proposal for extending Skills Bootcamps into a wider range of delivery areas for 2023/24.

·  Expecting to hear from the Department for Education in January with regards to the grant amount based off the submitted proposal.

Comments and questions were as follows:

It was queried how the LEP Board can help to support this project, and what can be done to market it. It was discussed that providers of the Skills Bootcamps have a great level of social media networking, which is endorsed by the Lancashire Skills and Employment Hub through their own social media channels. It was noted that it is being looked into how to widen the marketing of Skills Bootcamps though different types of media, and that this is something that is ongoing. It was further note that if there were any ideas from members as to how better to market Skills Bootcamps so that it reaches the desired audiences, then this should be discussed.

Resolved: The Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Limited Board

(i)  Noted the progress in 2022/23 and the additional allocation of funds from the DfE in-year.

(ii)  Considered the opportunities available to secure grant funds for further Skills Bootcamp delivery in Lancashire in 2023/24 and supported the acceptance of grant funds should the application to DfE be successful, with delegation to the Chief Executive and Section 151 Officer to review and agree the grant funding offer and terms and conditions, and give due consideration to any procurement considerations and agree and enter into any legal agreements required to protect the interests of the LEP.

(iii)  Should further grant funds be approved and accepted, supported the extension to contracts for the Project Manager and Project Officer, with delegation to the Chief Executive and Section 151 Officer for approval subject to advice from HR.