Making Skills work for Young People

CESI North West Youth Employment Convention

Kirsty Evans Director of Area RelationshipsSkills Funding Agency,23 November 2011

Provide an overview of the skills system as it relates to young people.

Provide detail on the skills ‘offer’ for young people.

Introduce a provider, Stockport College, to describe the implementation of the offer on the ground.

Allow for discussion on opportunities and challenges for providers and stakeholders to support young people to access and improve their skills.

Purpose

Skills for Sustainable growth• Based upon 4 principles of growth, fairness, responsibility and freedom

and flexibility.• Emphasis on young people, unemployed and apprenticeships

Awaited: Joint D of E /BIS Strategy DocumentsParticipation strategy for 16-24 year olds.Education and skills growth plan.

Implementation of the skills strategy for young people by theYoung Peoples Learning Agency and the Skills FundingAgency.

Skills Policy

Skills, employment and

growthThe skills offer is interdependent with the policies for employment and growth. Get Britain Working:• Welfare reform• Youth Employment Support• Work ProgrammePlan for Growth:• Local Growth White Paper• Local Enterprise Partnerships• Regional Growth Fund• Enterprise Zones• Business Growth Fund

Skills offer for Young People

‘Most English young people now take some vocational courses before they are 16; and post-16 the majority follow courses which are largely or entirely vocational.’

The Wolf Report, March 2011

Skills offer for Young PeopleAdult Skills Budget

– Classroom based 19+ vocational provision leading to a full qualification

– Apprenticeships• 16-18 fully funded• 19+ co-funded

– Provision for the Unemployed• Expanded definition• Funding for units and smaller qualifications

National Careers Service– 19-24 without Level 3 priority group – multiple

sessions– Encouraging co-location pilots to tackle NEET

An Enhanced Skills offerApprenticeships

– Access to Apprenticeships– Additional 19-24 NEET Apprenticeship funds

• For existing ASB providers• Third Sector procurement

Employer Incentives– Grants to SMEs taking on a first Apprentice (18-24 year

olds) – in place now– Incentive payments for small employers (from April)

ESF funded provision– Skills Support for the Unemployed/ Redundancy inc

progression incentives– 14-19 NEET

Policy Update

• Significant increase in Apprenticeship starts but

• Further 16-18 growth required to meet the ambition

• Demand from individuals outweighs employer opportunities so

• More employers needed to realise growth

• Expansion of Apprenticeship frameworks but

• Greater alignment with key employment & growth sectors and• Need to increase the proportion of Advanced Apprentices to

meet skills needs

What’s the policy direction……

Delivering Skills for Young People…

Debbie FennellStockport College

Skills offer for Young People-

Stockport College

•Life Chances – programmes for NEET young people

•First Step Apprenticeship –a pre-Apprenticeship programme

•Skills Support for the Unemployed -18-24 Apprenticeship Grant

Skills offer for Young People-

Overcoming the Challenges•Getting the basics right•Partnership working•Innovation in design•A flexible curriculum•Becoming competitive•Working with employers•Changing perceptions•Progression•Sustaining positive outcomes

Case Study – from NEET to HE

Key priorities for partnersand stakeholders• Understand the provider base, their offers and

performance

• Inform and influence the provision offer to meet local priorities and individual and employer needs

• Work with individuals and employers to drive up the demand for and investment in skills

• Work with individuals and employers to increase the availability of and participation in Apprenticeships

Resources for partners and stakeholders

• The Data Service

• Framework for Excellence

• Next Step Course Directory

• Provider Networks

Next Steps

How ready are you and your partners to capitalise on the offer in a local area? Are you co-ordinated?

What do you know of, that already exists as good practice, that you can share today?

What are the 3 main issues/barriers to overcome to ensure the offer for young people is delivered effectively in an local area?