1. Influence, Business Network Evening
18th
September 2013
Mike Godfrey
Chair, Swindon Skills & Employment Board
2. Our Priorities
• Business led partnership
• Business, Public Sector and
voluntary Sector
• Ensuring a more strategic and
joined up approach
• Identify priorities
• Clear links to the LEP
• Focus resources and maximise
opportunities to gain additional
funding
3. One Swindon
Swindon – Skills and EmploymentSwindon – Skills and Employment
GovernanceGovernance
Skills and Employment Board
(Business Led, supported by SBC)Employability
RPA/NEET
ResourcesandBids
Employment/
Apprenticeships(16–
25)
AdultSkills?
HigherEducation
AdultCommunity
Learning
Employer
Organisations
Employers
Supply +
demand
Swindon & Wiltshire LEP
Employment and Skills Subgroup
Swindon & Wiltshire LEP
LearningProvider
groups/networks
Growing Economy
Programme (SBC)
All sub groups are
assigned a business lead
or link
4. Our Priorities
Strengths
• High levels of overall
employment
• High productivity rates (One of
the highest GVA rates outside
London)
• High rate of private sector jobs
• Excellent business location
• Strengths in specific sectors
• Good engagement of private,
public and voluntary sector at
Board level and in sub groups
• Positive engagement with
Apprenticeships in some sectors
Challenges
• Skills shortages and gaps are a
barrier to current and future
growth, particularly at level 4+
• Skill levels at 19 and all ages are
below the national average
• Swindon has been badly hit by
the recession, young people have
suffered disproportionately
• Nationally, 55% employers
indicate that young people lack
the key attributes needed to be
successful in a job.
• Currently patchy evidence of
skills needs from employers
5. Our Priorities
1. A place of opportunity for Young
People
•Equip young people with the skills and
qualifications needed to successfully
enter the labour market
2. A Higher Skilled, Higher Earning
Population
•Better understand the skills needs of
business
•Ensure current workforce has the
skills needed now and in the future
•Create an employment and skills
system which is more responsive to
the needs of business and which
supports enterprise and employment
growth
6. Our Priorities
3. Innovative Higher Education
Provision
•Focus on raising the higher level
skills base of the workforce
4. Right Skills, Right Jobs
•Reduce unemployment and
improve pathways to securing
employment
7. Feedback on the Strategy.
Strategy will be sent via
email. Deadline 18th
October.
•Are these the right
priorities?
•What are your skills and
employment challenges?
•What would help?
Champion the strategy
•Contribute to the sub
groups
•Support young adults
through work experience,
internships, traineeships
or Apprenticeships
Talk through the purpose of the sub groups Each sub group has a business lead and then a manager. Managers are mainly from SBC All sub groups have a brief and are currently drafting their action plans with a set of outcomes SBC also supports the work of the Skills and Employment Board. Decisions about the Adult Skills sub group to be made at next Board meeting SBC has a 6 Programmes which are designed to ensure key priorities have the focus and resources to move forward. The Economy and actions identified in the Economic Strategy is one of these programmes.
NB. GVA rate despite still being high, is reducing. Locally, 19% of employers say they have skills gaps compared with 13% nationally Increasing the level of skills in the workforce is fundamental to economic recovery and long term growth Strengths in Sectors – Engineering, Advanced Electronics and Communication Technology, Financial sector, Research and development including Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology.