Agenda item

(Report by Mr M Whiting, Cabinet Member, Education, Learning and Skills, Mr J Cubitt, Deputy Cabinet Member and Mr P Leeson, Corporate Director, Education, Learning and Skills)

(Ms S Dunn, Head of Skills and Employability, was present for this item)

1.               The Chairman invited the Corporate Director, Mr Leeson to introduce the report.  Points raised included the following:-

·       Members considered the draft 14 -24 Strategy at its meeting on 12 October.

·                                  The Cabinet Committees comments were incorporated to the draft strategy and the consultation was launched on 11 October.

·       The report updated Members on the responses from the consultation.

·       Broadly the Strategy was welcomed.  There was an expectation that the targets could be reduced.

·       The success of the strategy depended on the partnership working of KCC, Kent schools, colleges; work based learning providers, employers and other stakeholders such as Job Centre Plus.  There was a strong response to developing more local partnership arrangements as a way of delivering this Strategy.

·       Respondents were clear that the local authority should strengthen the way it carried out certain functions set out in the strategy including; the local authorities role in strategic mapping linked to employers needs, doing more to help employers to employ and offer apprenticeships by having a matching service and actively encouraging apprenticeships across KCC and Kent Schools.

·       There was concern in the responses to the strategy that the local authority supports the more vulnerable groups of young people.  This required clear links on what we do for vulnerable adolescents.

·       A pilot was being held on integrating business support services for districts in Kent, which was designed to provide a more targeted support for vulnerable young people to keep them on track and help to keep them in the system to help provide opportunities that would enable them to continue to engage, to ensure better pathways for them.

·       There was strong support for the work in the strategy on apprenticeships and a recognition that the positive trends need to continue.

2.               Mr Leeson explained that the draft Strategy that was considered by Members on 12 October required little changing it as it had the right priorities and was going in the right directions and was generally well received by Kent’s partners and stakeholders.  The Strategy would have some additional clarifications added in some sections before it was submitted to the Cabinet Committee on 3 December 2012.

3.               The Chairman invited Ms Dunn to speak on the report.  Ms Dunn explained that the Strategy was a different approach in looking at the continuum of education to employment and high level of learning.  This was not an area that the local authority had focused on in this way before.  There were significant changes to the post 16 funding arrangements which included the introduction of the destination measure for schools, colleges and work base learning providers at 18 years, to declare where young people move onto following their full time education.  The 14-24 Strategy underpinned the national changes.  Kent now had to look at the implementation of the Strategy to produce the outcomes for local young people.

4.               The Chairman stated that from the figures provided to the Cabinet Committee, Kent was a lead in this area nationally. The Committee thanked Ms Dunn and her Team for all of the work undertaken. 

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

a)    In reply to questions, Ms Dunn advised that the University Technology College Programme was an academy for 14-19 year olds.  It focus was predominately for pupils that could achieve level 2 in English and maths.  There was a proposal to open a UTC in conjunction with Leigh Academy, North West Kent College and Greenwich University in Dartford. KCC supported the principles of the UTC but would need to monitor those developments to considerer whether the UTC was the best and appropriate way to deliver those programmes in Kent and whether separate schools needed to be developed to achieve that programme.

b)    In terms of travel, the post 16+ travel pass was developed and Kent was due to carry out an evaluation of that form with a group of Head teachers from the FE sector.  The out come of this would be brought back to a future meeting of this Cabinet Committee.

c)     Ms Dunn advised that work was being carried out regarding all young people in vulnerable groups but there was particular concern with NEET young parents.  It was considered that there was urgent and considered work that needed to be carried out on this vulnerable group.  Ms Dunn explained that NEET young parents were able to access a grant called “Care To Learn” and Kent had the lowest uptake of that additional finance to support those young people to go back into learning.

d)    In reply to questions, Ms Dunn explained that the government was leaving the legislation open as a permissive piece of legislation on young people continuing learning and training post 16.  The Government Department would monitor whether this worked.  If it did not work there would be consideration given to sanctions.  Through the Raising Participation Pilot, KCC was supporting young people to make positive choices at the age of 16 years that would enable them to progress to higher levels of learning or employment.  It was hoped that the young people would not need that sanction if their pathways were clear from 14 to 19 years.  Ms Dunn stated that there was a misunderstanding this was not about raising the school leaving age.  It was about engaging young people in skills training or apprenticeships or employment training up to 18 years.

e)    A Member suggested that the Locality Boards could be tasked with looking at the issues in their areas.  

f)      In reply to a comment, Ms Dunn agreed to keep Local Members informed on any changes to the Vocational Centres in their electoral division.

6.               RESOLVED that:-

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

b)    the interim responses to the consultation prior to Cabinet considering the final version of the 14 -24 Learning and Employment and Skills Strategy  be noted.