Agenda item

DfE/GLLEP Career Learning Pilot: Cost and Outreach Pilots

(To receive a report by Clare Hughes, Skills Manager, Greater Lincolnshire LEP, which provides an update on the Career Learning Pilot that Lincolnshire wsa invited to participate in by the Department for Education)

Minutes:

Consideration was given to a report which provided an update on the Career Learning Pilot that Lincolnshire was invited to participate in by the Department for Education.  It was reported that in preparation for the introduction of a National Retraining Scheme the Department for Education was testing what worked in getting more adults into learning that would enhance their careers.

 

Members were advised that national research showed that raising skills levels was an important way to increase productivity, and people with a level 3 qualification could earn 10% more than those without.  However, not all skills provision would inevitably result in higher earnings, and furthermore participation by adults in the workforce (at all education levels) had been declining in the UK since around 2002.

 

The Greater Lincolnshire LEP was one of five LEPs invited to participate in the Career Learning Cost and Outreach pilot.  All five areas were testing ways to reach working adults, how the National careers Service offer could be flexed, and the effect of making courses cheaper by offering subsidies to motivate adults into taking up training.

 

It was recognised that it was important to help young adults to achieve their potential, and this was not necessarily about those people who were out of work, but engaging with adults who were already in work.

 

The pilot focused on three different areas – local outreach, face to face advice on careers and subsidies for learning.

 

LEP's were asked to choose a number of qualifications to be subsidised, and 25 were chosen.  It was noted that the pilot could only include those courses that ran for one year, as this was the length of the pilot study.  During the preparation stage it was found that the most common qualification that adults were currently paying for was accounting, with the second being hair dressing.  Greater Lincolnshire wanted to choose a number of qualifications for subsidy that would help adults to further their careers.  Due to the pilot only running for 12 months meant that complex training such as engineering courses could not be included as they usually ran for two years.

 

One challenge which was encountered was how to reach out to adults already in work, as LEP's were not able to approach employers as part of the pilot.

 

The Greater Lincolnshire LEP was helping the DfE to understand the difficulties with transport and accessing work or training in rural areas.  It was highlighted that this could be one of the biggest benefits to come out of this.

 

It was highlighted that the National Careers Website included all training which was available to adults over the age of 16, as well as a list of job profiles.  The government were asking for feedback on this website and so officers would be grateful if members could test the website and look to see if there were other jobs that were not listed that should be.  It was noted that the website was nationalcareers.service.gov.uk.

 

 

Members were provided with the opportunity to ask questions to the officers present in relation to the information contained within the report and some of the points raised during discussion included the following:

·       One member expressed surprise that officers were not able to talk to employers as part of the pilot as well as not involving schools.  Members were advised that officers were able to talk to employers in advance of the pilot, but this was not permitted once it had started. 

·       It was also stated that the message needed to be got across that a degree was not essential.  The pilot was not about A levels or the academic route and A level qualifications had not been included within the pilot.

·       Someone had been appointed whose job it was to build connections between schools and businesses, and it was thought that another 3-4 people carrying out this role would be needed.  It was noted that officers had been asked to find some money to set up something similar to this for a county-wide service.

·       It was commented that it would be interesting to see how many over 30 year olds would be aware of this as the biggest issues for those in this group looking to retrain were either that they could not afford it or were unable to take the time of work to attend training.  It was noted that evening courses and distance learning options would be looked at.

·       It was noted that there was due to be another pilot which would involve speaking with providers about running appropriate evening courses, as it could be very difficult for an adult to access courses if they wanted to retrain.

·       Lt was also highlighted that specialist careers advice was no longer offered in schools.

·       It was suggested whether a couple of head teachers from schools and colleges should be invited to attend a future meeting to discuss this in more detail.

·       It was highlighted that companies such as Siemens, took on apprentices and retrained people, and it was suggested that the Committee should also speak to them.

·       Concerns were raised regarding access to nursing now being by degree and that this may discourage some people from pursuing this career.

 

RESOLVED

 

          That the comments raised in relation to the Career Learning Pilot: Cost and Outreach Pilot in Lincolnshire be noted.

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