ESF Priority 5 Wider Management Meeting

Wednesday 20 July 2011 – 10 am

Wallace Room Old Viewforth

Present

Lesley Gallagher – Stirling CPP Manager

Des Friel – Head of EEY – Stirling Council

Matt Duncan – Service Manager - Employability and LAC – Stirling Council

Bill Miller – Service Manager – Youth Involvement – Stirling Council

Deborah Murray – Service Manager – Economic and Tourism – Stirling Council

Ed Gibbon – Team Leader – Adult Learning – Stirling Council

Neil Boyd – Team Leader – Employability – Stirling Council

Marianne Eik – Project Co-ordinator – ASPIRE – Stirling Council

Sheila Barrie – Admin Officer – ASPIRE – Stirling Council

Joan Barrie – Policy Officer – Stirling Council

Alastair Tollemache – Chief Executive- Stirlingshire Voluntary Enterprise

Ken Thomson – Depute Principal – Forth Valley College

David Allison – Forth Valley College

Rosa Huczynska – 16+ Learning Co-ordinator – Stirling Council

1General Update

Each of the 4 strands within the eligible ESF project gave a quick update on where their projects were at with regards to activity. Employability and MCMC both highlighted that they are moving along the recruitment process with MCMC holding interviews towards the end of the month.

2National Bids

Scottish Funding Council

Forth Valley College reported that there small amount of funding was being used to develop 1 full time course offering 13 places in Stirling. The course is on Health Related Studies.

No updates were available from Skills Development Scotland or SCVO. Alasdair Tollemache undertook to seek information on the SCVO bid.

3Feedback From National Community Planning Partnership Meeting

JB gave feedback on the National CPP Meeting held in Glasgow on 10th June. SFC and SDS were there and gave an update on the positions with their National Bids. No one there from SCVO. Concern was raised by the CPPs about the situation concerning the SCVO bid, in particular the non- communication from SCVO.

Some CPPs had still to receive their grant approval letters, which was another cause for concern.

Short presentation was given to the group by Primes who are charged with delivering The Work Programme. They had only begun their work at the beginning of that week.

It was noted that the targets for the sub contractors in the Work Programme (primarily TRIAGE locally) were particularly high, and discussion took place on whether or not these could realistically expect to be met, given the current economic climate.

It was agreed that there would extra pressure on the Pipeline, across all 5 stages.

There was some discussion on the difficulties of clients in rural Stirling, and a concern that their needs would not be easily met via the Work Programme. There was also support for Forth Valley College to be recognised by the Funding Council as a Rural College and therefore eligible for a small amount of additional funding.

4Flexible Support Fund

NB gave an overview of the fund and highlighted areas that could be of potential interest to Stirling – deadline for first stage bid by end July. A meeting had been held with representatives from Clackmannanshire and Falkirk Councils. It had been agreed that Clackmannanshire would act as the lead organisation. Focus of the bid could potentially be at Stage 3, and involve wage subsidy. Priority clients would be long term unemployed 50+, and lone parents, where there had been some commonality across the 3 Councils.

5Launch

Initial discussion was had around the possibility of a formal launch for the Pipeline. Agreed that it would be sensible to look at undertaking the mapping exercise first so that it could all be tied in together. It was noted that some initial mapping had begun in Youth Services, looking at 16+ leaving choices and employers.

6AOCB

There were no other items of competent business.

7Date of Next Meeting

  • Thursday 6th October 2011 2 pm Wallace Room Old Viewforth