Issue - meetings

This report proposes a direction of travel for the future management arrangements of York Learning.

Resolved:  That the direction of travel for York Learning, set out in paragraph 10 of the report, through collaboration with North Yorkshire County Council, be approved.

Reason:  To enhance the service’s ability to achieve its mission of ensuring that all learners have the skills and motivation to maximise their life chances and to maximise the level of resource directed to front-line services.

The Executive Member considered a report that proposed a direction of travel for the future management arrangements of York Learning. 

The Assistant Director of Communities and Culture was in attendance to give an update. He stated that York Learning was a successful Council service which focused primarily on helping York residents furthest from the job market to improve their confidence, self-esteem and employability skills.

It was noted that in the period leading up to the retirement of the Head of Service, who had also been seconded to support North Yorkshire County Council on a part time basis, the service had been investigating various operating models for future delivery.

The Executive Member noted that to allow the service to fund the level of management and deliver a capacity that was desirable in some key areas of its operation, greater collaboration with North Yorkshire County Council, by sharing equally between the two authorities a Head of Service and management roles, would encourage a model that was operationally robust and reasonably future proof.

The Executive Member thanked the Head of Service for his contribution to York Learning and wished him well in his retirement. He congratulated North Yorkshire County Council for securing an assessment of ‘Good’ under the Ofsted framework.

In answer to the Executive Members questions the Assistant Director highlighted the benefits of a joint management approach and confirmed that the two authorities were closely aligned in the way they wanted to manage, structure and deliver their services.

The Executive Member agreed that collaborating with North Yorkshire County Council was a positive direction for York Learning.

Resolved: That the direction of travel for York Learning, set out in paragraph 10 of the report, through collaboration with North Yorkshire County Council, be approved.

Reason:  To enhance the service’s ability to achieve its mission of ensuring that all learners have the skills and motivation to maximise their life chances and to maximise the level of resource directed to front-line services.