Agenda item

The Chair of Learning City will be in attendance to update Members on the York Skills Strategy 2013-2016. The Strategy can be viewed at http://democracy.york.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=669&MId=7587&Ver=4

The Chair of Learning City York attended the meeting and provided an update on the York Skills Strategy 2013-2016.

The Learning City Partnership Manager was in attendance and she introduced the Chair of Learning City York to the meeting who gave a presentation on the work of Learning City York. She provided the following information after which she responded to queries from Members of the Committee.

·        Learning City York has been a Voluntary Partnership since 1998 – It has taken a lead role for Learning City theme of Without Walls Partnership (WOW)  and City Strategy since 2004

·        Its overall aim was “Cohere, co-ordinate and collaborate provision and services of local education and training providers and employment and funding agencies. To maximise the contribution of skills, education, training and lifelong learning to supporting personal fulfilment and well-being, promoting social mobility, building stronger communities and enabling sustainable economic growth.”

•      The Board is chaired by Principal of York College and its membership includes the Cabinet Member for Education, Children and Young People’s Services, Learning City York Partnership Manager, CYC AD for Education and Skills and other relevant CYC managers and officers, representatives from Higher York, Job Centre Plus, National Careers Service, NYBEP, Skills Funding Agency, University of York and York St John University, National Museums Trust and York Consortium.

•      Its priorities are Sustainable economic growth (nurturing, attracting and retaining talent of all ages), Enterprise and an Enterprising Culture (stimulating start-ups and enterprising skills and ambitions), Employability and Economic Inclusion (with a focus on the most disadvantaged and vulnerable) and Personal, social and community development (growing a vibrant lifelong learning culture and maintaining a balance of formal and informal learning)

•      Learning City York supports children and young people (including undergraduates / graduates), families and communities, employers, self-employed and working age adults (both those in and out of work)

The Chair provided some key statistics and facts and updated Members on the highlights for the partnership during 2013 which included the launch of the York Skills Strategy (2013-2016), the establishment of the York Community Learning Trust and York Apprenticeship Hub and Brokerage Service and the John Lewis recruitment drive

With regard to the York Skills Strategy (2013-16) she advised that the three priorities were skills for business growth, skills for employment and skills for the future workforce. She advised how these priorities could be achieved, how people could get involved and what the main risks for the Board would be during 2014.

Members expressed concerns over the reduction in number of adult education courses in the city. They acknowledged that funding was now focused on skills priorities (Maths, English and vocational sills) therefore unless other grants were available, payment for a lot of courses needed to come from the individual.

The Chair of Learning City noted Members concerns about  promoting Entrepreneurship in Yorkshire and The Humber, and advised them that schools and colleges include entrepreneurship learning into the curriculum, but acknowledged that those not in education did not benefit from this. The Learning City Partnership Manager drew Members attention to the “York Means Business” website, a local one stop shop to signpost people to business opportunities in the city.

Members reminded the Chair of Learning City of the two of the recommendations which arose out of the Careers Scrutiny Review which had been carried out by the committee the previous year. These were to consider the timing of the taster sessions at York College, which the Committee felt was a year too late for students, and to increase the knowledge of apprenticeship opportunities in schools as it had been found that some students were unaware of them. Members also acknowledged the difficult relationship between provision of impartial careers guidance and schools sixth form provision and understood that if schools had a sixth form, this became a strong influencing factor.

Resolved: That the update be noted.

Reason:     In order that Members are kept informed on work undertaken by the Council’s strategic partners.