Employment and Social Policy UKBO Skills and Worklessness

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Employment and Social Policy UKBO Skills and
Worklessness

• Kathryn Griffiths
• 22nd May 2008

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Background

• 6.9m people
• 12 UK population
• 11 UK employment
• 10 UK GDP
• 73 people in the NW in work
• 23.3bn GDP gap with rest of UK
• 360m direct investment
• 560m indirect investment

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NWDA Priorities

• Mainly supported gaps in provision
• Focused on groups that are low priority groups
  for job centre plus
• Unemployed for less than 6 months
• Long term incapacity benefits
• Tackling worklessness by linking people, jobs and
  training
• Increase participation of 16-19 year olds in
  education/work-based learning
• Support for adults
• Stimulate employers to invest in workforce
• Stimulate demand for and invest in
  entrepreneurial, intermediate and higher level
  skills for individuals

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Links with RES

• Priority sectors
• Energy and environmental technologies
• Advanced engineering and materials
• Digital and creative industries
• Business and professional services
• Targeted areas
• Using Liverpool Capital of Culture
• Ports/airports
• Strategic Regional Sites
• Business appropriate skills
• Language skills (internationalisation)
• IT and digital technologies skills
• Business Improvement Skills
• Other actions of interest
• Programmes to assist workers in declining sectors
  to move into growth sectors
• Develop skilled workforce in rural areas
• Roll out of support for basic skills Train to
  Gain
• Overcome skills disparities in disadvantaged
  groups

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Cast study 1 Northwest Worklessness Investment
Framework

• Partners NWDA, Learning and Skills Council and
  Job centre plus
• Focus Key stages to engage with workless people
  and routes needed to support them in sustainable
  employment
• Progress model

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Case study 2 Northern Way

• Northern Way bring together cities in the three
  Northern regions of Yorkshire and Humber, North
  West and North East England
• Specific pilot activities on worklessness
• Work on health related worklessness particularly
  successful in Manchester
• Around 3000 individuals will have been assisted
  in skills development by March 2007

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Lesson learnt

• Willingness of individuals to engage with
  activities
• Different needs of individuals
• Post employment support services
• Engagement with employers
• Problems with duplication of work

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Use of ERDF in the region

• Action area 4.2 Supporting linkages to key
  employment areas
• Transport
• Sub-regional approach
• Improving reporting requirements

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The future

• Changes to national policy and the demographics
  of the UK means that policy will have to change
• Ageing population
• Welfare reform
• Outreach less important for region
• Strategic approach
• More emphasis on demand
• Use of procurement to stimulate employment in
  target groups

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• Thank you for your attention
• Contact details
• Kathryn.griffiths_at_nwbo.be
• www.nwbo.be
• www.nwda.co.uk