Irene Heller

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Medway Council Leading Prime Advantage (Equal)
Irene Heller European Affairs Neighbourhood
Renewal Medway Council March 2005
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A strategic location
Equidistant between London and Channel
Tunnel Excellent communications now Channel
Tunnel Rail Link coming Medway leading urban
renaissance
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A strategic location
Within Thames Gateway Largest Regeneration
project Thames Gateway North Kent Home to
554,000 people
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Medway Councils Strategic Approach

• Developing the Competitiveness of Businesses
• Promoting Medways Inward Investment Potential
• Helping Medway People Develop their skills and
  job prospects
• Promoting Medway as an attractive place to live,
  work and visit

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• Key Facts (1) DATA FROM NOMISWEB STATISTICS AND
  SRA CONSULTATION 2003
• Population 249,502
• Workforce of 122,000 People
• 37 Commute out each day
• Unemployment rate 2.8

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Key Facts (2)

• Around 8,000 companies
• Key Sectors
• Finance Business
• Services
• High Tech Manufacturing
• Tourism Leisure
• Construction
• Transport, Distribution Logistics

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Prime Advantage Rationale (1) DATA FROM
LEARNING SKILLS IN KENT AND MEDWAY 2003-04
ASSESSMENT

• Economic activity rate of over 50s lower in the
  Thames Gateway than in the S East (72.3 v 74.9)
• Individuals Aged 50 to 64 accounts for 17 of
  the Thames Gateway
• People over 45 in engineering sector are less
  qualified and less likely to participate in
  learning

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Prime Advantage Rationale (2)

• Manufacturing employs 37,000 workers in the area
  and accounts for 41 of employment in Kent and
  Medway 28 employees are over 50
• Age Discrimination legislation comes into force
  October 2006
• 90 of employers prefer not to recruit from the
  over 35s
• Mature job seekers lack the skills and
  confidence
• 3rd Age 45-64 increases 13.1 - 10 years

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Prime Advantage Rationale (3)

• Lessons learnt from Oases
• business participation commitment to the
  project
• targeted training activities responding to
  demand side skills gaps
• Oases was about responding to immediate risk of
  redundancy Prime Advantage is about anticipating

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Prime Advantage Partners

• Medway Council Lead partner , local government
• Vines Centre Trust Voluntary sector, unemployed
• University of Greenwich School of engineering /
  business school
• Career Guidance learning partnership, job
  centre
• IPS International Training provider engineering
  and management
• Mid Kent College Higher Education

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Prime Advantage Aims
Develop and pilot a new multi-agency approach
offering a structured response to the needs and
discriminations faced by older workers (over 45).
Tested in the Medway / Thames Gateway sub region
within the engineering / manufacturing sector. In
order to raise employment rate for over 45s,
prevent premature unemployment and promote better
age management strategy Voluntary Sector
Participation widened Over 45s
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Action 1 activities

• Research
• Skills shortage
• Hard to fill vacancies
• Training needs
• Preferred option placement
• Attitudes to employing over 45s
• Barriers to training

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Action 2 Planned activities (1)

• Mature workforce to access and benefit from
  learning activities
• Up-skill, new methods of delivering training
• Development of career reorientation packages
• Up to date business methods
• Mentoring , work placement schemes
• After care for unemployed

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Action 2 Planned activities (2)

• Age management practices
• - Data-base of business recruiting older workers
• - Research into attitudes to employing over 45s
• - Knowledge transfer , work placement, mentoring
• - Actions aiming at reducing age discrimination
  in employment practices

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Action 3 Planned activities

• Dissemination events / seminars
• Networking activities
• Communication / publication
• Conferences
• Good practice guide

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Expected Transnational Activities

• Good practices in carrying out beneficiary
  skills audit in relation to empowering
  beneficiaries
• Comparative analysis to attitude to employing
  over 45
• Comparative analysis of age management
  strategies
• Implementation of age discrimination
  legislation
• Joint mainstreaming activities at EU level

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Opportunity Independence for All

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Challenges
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• How ?

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Wasting such Potential bad for Economy

• Inspire, challenge, engage support companies
• Research to stimulate new thinking
• Communicate Achievements
• Share Knowledge Best Practice
• Engage with Government and influence public policy