Liverpool City Region MAA
Employment and Skills Platform – Progress and Workplan
Summary
A detailed employment and Skills workplan is attached as Annex 1. A number of officer working groups have been established to support the delivery of the Employment and Skills asks. These include:
· Flexible New Deal programme design. A Liverpool City Region (LCR) specification is being developed for inclusion in the Department for Work and Pension’s Pre Qualification Questionnaire. This is required by the 6 March 2009.
· Amion Consulting has been commissioned to undertake a baseline survey of work/health related activity across the City Region to inform the development of a local Fit for Work Service. The first findings from this research have been produced. We expect DWP/DoH to issue the Invitation to Tender for this pilot in March 2009 and will use the Amion research to inform our submission.
· Terms of reference for the Employment and Skills Board (ESB) are under development. Further guidance from Government about the membership of ESBs is expected in March 2009. It is intended to undertake a promotional campaign to recruit private sector representatives to the Board during April, leading to a launch of the Board in July 2009.
· A tender document is in the process of being produced for consultants to deliver the Employment and Skills Strategy. A stakeholder advisory group is being established to inform the development of this strategy. The development of the strategy will also include a wide ranging stakeholder consultation between April and June 2009.
· Liverpool City Region is participating in a data sharing pilot led by CLG and DWP along with Leeds and Kent local authorities. The purpose of the pilot is to demonstrate the value of effective partnership working, data sharing and data management to achieve better outcomes in worklessness and related skills issues while fining ways to tackle data security.
Issues that might impede progress
· Co-commissioning Flexible New Deal and Specialist Support Contract – The Steering Group has identified additional volumes the LCR would like to purchase from these two contracts targeting young people who were previously NEET and residents living in the most disadvantaged wards. These principles have been agreed with DWP. A request has been made to NWDA to roll forward c£525k of single pot funding to allow for these additional volumes to be purchased from DWP in 2010/11. The request is currently with NWDA finance but we need a decision by 6 March to meet the DWP PQQ deadline.
· Employment and Skills Strategy – the development of this strategy needs to be informed by the new LCR Economic Assessment that has just gone out to tender which means that final version of the strategy may slip from June to July 2009.
· Data Sharing pilot – this group has been slow to get off the ground and has only met once. Another meeting is planned for mid March but I don’t expect the outcomes to be achieved by the end of March which was the original timescale.
· The Single Investment Framework for the LCR highlights partner investment, including DWP and LSC co-financing and the ESF Complementary strand. It will inform the development of the LCR Commissioning Plan. DWP and DIUS recently agreed at the national level to use the revalued ESF programme to introduce a package of measures to help alleviate the effects of the economic downturn. In taking this forward DWP plan to increase the contract values of the existing ESF Prime Contractors in the city region but have not discussed their proposals with the City Employment Strategy who manage the complementary ESF programme. In the absence of any discussion there is a real concern that this may result in duplication rather than added value provision. At the very least this approach works against the principles signed up to in the MAA.
Sue Jarvis
Service Director City Region Strategy, Employment and Skills
Knowsley MBC
4 March 2009
ANNEX 1
Delivering the Employment and Skills Platform of the LCR MAA
Activity / Progress/Tasks / Timescale / Lead /Produce Employment and Skills Strategy / · Establish stakeholder Advisory Group
· Prepare tender and commission work
· Stakeholder consultation
· Final strategy
· Launch / March 2009
April - June 2009
June 2009
July 2009 / Sue Jarvis
Employment and Skills Commissioning Plan / · As above / By Sept 2009 / Sue Jarvis
Employment and Skills Board / · Agree terms of reference, membership, links to Economy Board
· Government guidance on ESB membership to be issued
· Promotional strategy to recruit private sector – awareness raising, advertise for Board members
· Shadow Board meeting to consider draft Employment and Skills Strategy
· Launch ESB / March 2009
March 2009
April 2009
April/May 2009
July 2009 / Sue Jarvis
Flexible New Deal programme design / · Steering Group established
· Develop specification working with DWP prior to issue of DWP PQQ
· Source LCR funding / Jan 2009
Feb 2009
By 6 March / Sue Jarvis
Support from Paul Blackmore (LCC), Gary Foulkes (JCP), Karon Brownbill (LSC), David Howard (Connexions)
Fit for Work Service programme design / · Steering Group established
· Amion undertaking scoping work
· DWP/DoH tender to be advertised
· Prepare bid for Fit for Work pilot status / Jan 2009
Complete by March 2009
March 2009
March/April 2009 / Sue Jarvis
Support from Paul Blackmore (LCC), Bev Sandiford (Wirral) Dave Eva (TUC), Neil Perris (NHS Wirral), Nicky Spearman (NHS Sefton)
Adult advancement and Careers Service) / · Link to AACS pilot
· Link to Connexions and JCP
· On-going dialogue with DIUS / On-going / Karon Brownbill (LSC)
Data Sharing / · Steering Group established
· Contribute to work of CLG/DWP Task Group – first meeting held 16 Jan / Jan 2009
Complete by March 2009 / Sue Jarvis
Support from Paul Blackmore (LCC), Ian Carolan (KMBC)
Funding and Commissioning cycles / · Map key funding and commissioning cycles / By March 2009 / Andy Frith (LSC)
Skills Accounts / · Agree how roll out of Skills Account trials can be tailored to support LCR priorities / By March 2009 / Karon Brownbill (LSC)
Employer Engagement Strategy / · Develop strategy and approach to employer engagement / On-going / Sue Jarvis/Alan Walker/Dave Moorcroft/Karon Brownbill
Machinery of Government Changes / · Ensure MAA links to new 14-19 arrangements and Skills Funding Agency proposals
· Workshop for Colleges and Providers / On-going
March 2009 / Sue Jarvis, Paul Lally (KMBC), Karon Brownbill (LSC)
Links with other MAA themes / · On-going / By April 2009 / MAA Core Group
Stakeholder Liaison / · Produce communications plan for overarching MAA and individual platforms / On-going / MAA Core Group