Issue - meetings

This report summarises the Local Authority’s 14-19 Plan (a statutory appendix of the Children and Young People’s Plan), which sets out priorities for developments to 2015, and recommends that the Council should play a leading role in the development of an enlarged Apprenticeship programme for 16-19 year olds in the City.

RESOLVED: (i)         That the good progress made on delivering the 14-19 Curriculum Reforms and the high regard in which the work of the York Partnership is held be noted, and that the strategic approach to continuing developments set out in the 14-19 Plan be endorsed.

                        (ii)        That the good progress made within the local authority and with Sub-Regional Partners, on the 16-19 Funding Transfer, and the opportunities and challenges it presents be noted, and that the authority’s approach to the changes at sub-regional and regional levels be endorsed.

                        (iii)       That approval be given for the Council, as the largest employer in the area, to build on existing development work and play a leading role in developing an enlarged apprenticeship programme for young people in the City; this to include (at a time when employment opportunities are restricted by the economic recession) encouraging partner organisations to offer places themselves as well as the creation of new apprenticeship places across the Council.

                        (iv)       That the Director of Children’s Services be requested to work with the Head of HR in developing a strategic action plan to increase apprenticeships across the Council in every area and department, taking into account the need to include LACs (Looked After Children) as a priority group, reduce NEETs (young people Not in Education, Employment or Training) and ensure sustainability; progress on the resulting work to be reported to the Executive Member for Children & Young People’s Services at six monthly intervals and the programme of work to be widely publicised and accessible to young people via the Internet.

REASON:      To ensure that progress towards the 2013 learner entitlements and the development of provision necessary to deliver RPA in York can be maintained, that the local authority is in a position to assume new statutory responsibilities associated with the post-16 funding transfer, and that the key apprenticeship pathway is made more widely available for young people in the City.

Members considered a report which summarised the authority’s 14-19 Plan (a statutory appendix of the Children and Young People’s Plan), setting out priorities for developments to 2015 and recommending that the Council should play a leading role in the development of an enlarged Apprenticeship programme for 16-19 year olds in the City.

The 14-19 Curriculum Reforms set out an ambitious agenda of curriculum change aimed at preparing young people to succeed in the 21^st century.  Local authorities were required to ensure access to new Diplomas, apprenticeships or Foundation Learning programmes.  Along with these changes, there was a requirement for young people to remain in education or training to age 17 (from 2013) and ultimately to age 18 (from 2015) – known as Raising the Participation Age (RPA).  York had made good progress on this agenda.  The work of the Learning City York 14-19 Partnership was held up as an example of good practice and York was one of only six areas in the country given permission to deliver all 14 of the new Diplomas from September 2010.  Development work was focused on the authority’s 14-19 Plan, entitled Achieving Excellence: York’s 14-19 Plan 2009-15.  The four themes of the Plan were summarised in paragraphs 11-15 of the report.

Details of work carried out by the sub-regional grouping of the four authorities of York, North Yorkshire, East Riding and Hull, regarding the transfer of funding for post-16 education to local authorities by April 2010, were set out in paragraphs 16-21 of the report.  The grouping had agreed some key principles for sub-regional working and conducting the funding allocations process currently undertaken by the Learning & Skills Council (LSC).  Arrangements were underway for the transfer of some LSC staff to local authorities.  Current priorities for the development of 14-19 provision required a shift in focus towards lower attaining learners who were less well served under existing arrangements. The national priority attached to Apprenticeships, and the recent decline in their numbers in York, meant that there was also a need to re-invigorate the Apprenticeship route.

RESOLVED: (i)         That the good progress made on delivering the 14-19 Curriculum Reforms and the high regard in which the work of the York Partnership is held be noted, and that the strategic approach to continuing developments set out in the 14-19 Plan be endorsed.

                        (ii)        That the good progress made within the local authority and with Sub-Regional Partners, on the 16-19 Funding Transfer, and the opportunities and challenges it presents be noted, and that the authority’s approach to the changes at sub-regional and regional levels be endorsed.

                        (iii)       That approval be given for the Council, as the largest employer in the area, to build on existing development work and play a leading role in developing an enlarged apprenticeship programme for young people in the City; this to include (at a time when employment opportunities are restricted by the economic recession) encouraging partner organisations to offer places themselves as well as the creation of new apprenticeship places across the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 133