Agenda item

The Service Lead for economic and development introduced a report that provided an update of apprenticeships and other employment in Slough. The report also outlined economic generation opportunities that were available in the Borough.

During the course of the discussion, the following points and questions were raised:

·  A member asked whether the Berkshire Skills Portal that would enable job seekers to access all vacancies in Berkshire would be in operation in April/May 2021. This was confirmed.

·  A member asked whether there would be enough interest in the Slough Innovation Space project that would be operating from Observatory House. It was explained that there would be, as it would be supporting businesses in the digital technology sector. Businesses related to science and farming would not be accepted, as the project would not have the equipment to support the specialist technology and software.

·  A member asked whether the Phase 2 transformation process that the Council was going through would impact on this area, given the significant increase in unemployment in Slough since March 2020. It was explained that the Phase 2 transformation process hadnot yet been completed but there were various areas across the Council that would present learning opportunities but be dependent on the outcome.

·  A member asked about the growth strategy, building on strands and teaching in key areas where there were mismatched skills and questioned whether any steps had been taken to address this weakness. It was explained that there were challenges in the community and challenges regarding qualifications. Qualifications had been up to level two in the past and those with other qualifications at a higher level, had qualified from other countries but did not match to the demand in Slough. However, the qualifications could be developed to address the mismatch of employers. Some businesses may indicate that they did not have people with skills/qualifications required  but yet have unemployed people that they were unaware of and therefore could be aligned through education and training to then match people in those jobs.

·  A member asked whether there was any mechanism to ascertain the skills that employers required. It was explained that there was, through on-going conversation in the borough acquired by Thames Valley Trade. Prior to Covid-19, relevant council staff were engaging with employers to establish trends and examples of what employers were saying they needed.

·  A member asked what the plans had been put in place to raise awareness to the people of Slough about the opportunity to upskill. It was explained that confirmation was pending from the funders and when received, there would be a press release. Both the Slough Innovation Space and Future Skills projects would be publicised via social media networks but each would also have its own marketing strategy. The Slough Innovation Space project would have a dedicated marketing person; for the Future Skills Hub, a combination of the Council and partner communication would be used to build a collective strategy.

·  A member asked whether young people who had participated in the Future Skills Hub project would be provided apprenticeships to work in the Council. It was explained that a percentage of apprentices would be employed by the Council and organisations that were in the Council’s control. A growing percentage of schools and organisations in the community were also offering apprenticeships.

·  A member asked how long the Future Skills Hub and Slough Innovation Space projects would be in operation. It was explained the Slough Innovation Space project was funded for 3 years but further projects had been built in to enable it to run for longer. The Future Skills Hub was funded by capital funding on a 3 year revenue stream and would continue to be funded by other financial models to ensure sustainability.

·  A member asked about the number of school leavers that progressed into apprenticeships. It was explained that the number was low, as young people tended to choose to go onto traditional education. This issue would be included in the Slough Academy report.

The Chair invited Councillor (Cllr) Strutton to address the Panel under Rule 30.

Cllr Strutton advised that the Council had ring fenced apprenticeships for children leaving care (CLA) but this appeared to have been overlooked in the report. He expressed concern that farming had not been included in any of the proposed projects, particularly as there were agricultural areas in the borough and noted that neither had filming been included, given that there were media companies in Slough; nor had nursing and health care. Cllr Strutton questioned whether the Council was being proactive enough to encourage young people to get into employment in these areas. Cllr Strutton stated that as corporate parents, the Council needed to be more robust in raising awareness of the reasons why apprenticeships were not being extensively provided for CLAs and for local young people. It was explained that Slough Academy was leading in the provision of apprenticeships. The film and creative industry had been highlighted as a growing sector in the strategy and this would be reviewed as the project progressed. It was noted that discussions were also taking place with the farming sector but stressed that qualification for this area was required at Level 4 and PHD in respect of the workers that were needed. In addition, people that were qualified at a higher level did not tend to stay in Slough.

The Assistant Director, Place Regulation clarified that it was never the case that apprenticeship was exclusively ring fenced for CLAs. Rather, there was formerly an apprenticeship scheme for 16 to18 year olds for CLAs, and young people had been encouraged to find work. However, due to the development of Apprenticeship levy, Slough Academy came into place two years ago to create apprentice schemes to meet the needs of businesses. The Slough Academy remained open to CLAs, who were also supported by a joint team in the Council. 

The Panel recommended that a separate report on Slough Academy should be brought to the Panel at a future meeting.

The Assistant Director, Place Regulation advised that a response was being drafted for Cllr Carter, Chair of Corporate Parenting Panel in respect of questions that had been raised regarding this issue. Members were reassured that there was absolute support and commitment to providing apprenticeships and training for young people. In relation to the former scheme, completion of apprenticeships was an issue as many young people failed to complete their programme.

Resolved:

i)  That a report on the work of Slough Academy be reported to the next meeting.

ii)  The Assistant Director, Place Regulation would request Councillor Cater to share response to issues raised relating to apprenticeship with the Panel and Councillor Strutton.