Agenda item

(Report by Mr R Gough, Cabinet Member for Education and Health Reform, and Mr P Leeson, Corporate Director for Education, Learning and Skills)

(Ms S Dunn, Head of Skills and Employability and Mrs S Rogers, Director of Education Quality and Standards, were present for this item)

1.         Mr Leeson introduced the report and advised that the 14- 24 Strategy which was launched in 2013 was about developing the whole skills agenda in Kent and helping young people to become more employable.

2.         Mrs Dunn advised that, in terms of attainment, there would be five new accountability measures for Key Stage 5, which were due to be announced by the Department for Education.  The accountability measures would be challenging for schools as traditionally key performance measures had been at Key Stage 4.  Mrs Dunn said that the performance measures would be rigorous.  She gave the example that if a school or education provider that did not provide access to level 2 in English and maths would not receive their funding.  Mrs Dunn welcomed the Destination accountability measure as it questioned what a Post 16 Programme was for. 

3.         Currently the Skills and Employability Team was working with 20 schools on a Profiling Project which was talking through the new accountability measures on what that may mean in terms of their post 16 offer.  As a result schools were considering reducing the number of subjects at A level as the standards reached were not appropriate and instead were looking at applied vocational learning and more clear progressions routes into apprenticeships.

4.         Kent was leading the way nationally in providing apprenticeships; outperforming its statistical neighbours; and hoped to be part of the governments trail blazing initiative in developing the new frameworks for apprenticeships.  This was a huge initiative post 16 agenda and would look at how apprenticeships were going to be delivered, shaped and changed through policy development.

5.         Mrs Dunn then spoke on the participation agenda and advised that the Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEETs) figures were going down and there had been a significant reduction in youth unemployment across the County’s five youth unemployment zones.

6.          An announcement had been made by Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, that a county prospectus was to be published in which all post 16 providers would have to publish their offer. 

7.         Mrs Dunn updated the figures in the report advising that the Kent supportive statistics should read “There were 600 young people who were unemployed for 3 months and were now on an apprenticeship scheme”.  There had been a 90% success rate on this programme.

8.         Targeted work continued to take place on vulnerable learners and learners with behaviour difficulties who traditionally went to a college in September at 16 years old and the placement would break down for a variety of reasons by Christmas.  There had been significant success in the programme outlined in the report. The focus of the Strategy would continue to be on vulnerable learners and narrowing the gap.

9.         Mr Leeson and Ms Dunn responded to comments and questions including the following:

a)    Members thanked the Skills and Employability Team for the work undertaken on the Strategy and the progress made for the 14 – 24 cohort to ensure that young people were making good progress and were on the correct pathway.

b)    The layout of the figures in the table KPI 2 for 2008 and 2009, on page 318, needed to be revised.

c)    A comment was made that the assisted apprenticeship scheme for vulnerable young people was welcomed as colleges did not have the capacity to support pupils who required transitional support.  Mrs Dunn confirmed that the assisted apprenticeship placements was in a pilot phase and would only provide a small number of assisted apprenticeships.  It was hoped that this would eventually be rolled out as a national scheme and have national funding, as it was currently funded by the County Council.

d)    In reply to a question, Ms Dunn advised that there were significant changes to how apprenticeships were to be delivered and to its framework.  There was a technical paper on how employers would receive funding directly.  With 16 to 18 year olds requesting a contribution from employers and with the reduction in government grants for apprenticeships there was concern that there might be a reduction in the take up of apprenticeships.  This was all alongside significant changes to the delivery model of responsibilities that employers would have which may be a particular issue for small or medium size employers.

10.      RESOLVED that:-

a)     the responses to comments and questions by Members be noted; and

b)     the progress made towards achieving the aims and targets of the 14-24 Learning and Employment and Skills be noted.