Agenda item

14-24 Education Strategy

Consultation will have concluded and the views collated to report back to Members for their views.  Decision report scheduled to come back to ECC in November before Mr Whiting takes the decision.

Minutes:

(Verbal Update by Mr M Whiting, Cabinet Member, Education, Learning and Skills and Mr P Leeson, Corporate Director, Education, Learning and Skills)

 

1.                  The Chairman invited the Corporate Director of Education Learning and Skills, Mr Leeson, to introduce the report.  Mr Leeson  highlighted the following points:-

 

  • The 14-24 Strategy would be published in the Autumn of 2012.
  • The Strategy was driven by national policy with the aim of reducing the level of unemployment.  It was expected that young people would not leave education before they were 18 years old.  The development of vocational training, a network of provision in locality, significantly better work with employers would be undertaken through the use of the local employer network and the development of courses and pathways to take advantage of employment opportunities.
  • The number of young people was a challenge.  The number of   NEETs had risen to 6% in Kent overall [10% in Thanet].
  • The report outlines a summary of what the directorate will address in the future. This would be carried out with a strategic approach involving more partnerships including; schools, FE colleges, employers and Job Centre Plus.
  • There had been a mismatch in vocational courses and jobs available.  The aim was to give better advice guidance on local employers needs.
  • Apprenticeships had moved from the portfolio of Customer and Communities Portfolio to Education Portfolio.

 

2.                  Members were given the opportunity to make comments and ask questions which included the following:-

 

a)     A request was made for a “picture” of all the apprenticeship schemes.

b)     A suggestion was made that there should be a One Stop Shop for apprentices and employers and for the process to be made as simple as possible.

c)       A request was made that the skills/employment matching needed to be monitored.  There needed to be planning on the capacity of people being trained in any one occupation.

d)     There should be focus on integrating support for young people with learning difficulties.

e)     A point of view was expressed that without the government being lobbied to support economic growth all of the targets would be undeliverable by 2015, which was 2 years following the general election.

f)        There was a view expressed that the targets were aspirational rather than realistic targets.

g)     A Member advised that in Dartford the school exclusion rate was exceptionally low and that they would be happy to share what they had learnt.

h)      A request was made for information on the University Technical Colleges.

 

3.                  Mr Leeson responded saying that the strategy was about delivery and where Kent wanted to be year on year.  He did consider this aspirational giving the example of exclusions and Referral Units targets of zero tolerance on permanent exclusions, at present an alternative did not exist.  There had to be positive alternatives. 

 

4.                  Mr Leeson advised that Kent employers were saying that they cannot recruit in Kent because the skills do not exist and young people did not come with the right attitude.  There was no employer that would employ a 16, 17 or 18 year old without learning/training or formal training certificate.

 

5.                  Responding to a comment, Mr Whiting added that this was not about electioneering it was about regeneration and creating growth, which the local authority could not do on its own, he gave the example of the lobbying of government for regeneration funding. Kent received £35 million. 

 

6.                  RESOLVED that the responses to comments and questions by Members and the report be noted, with thanks.

 

 

Supporting documents: