Issue - meetings

To receive a Presentation on Stevenage Works Skills Agenda.

Council received a presentation from Daryl Jedowski the Council’s Corporate Policy and Performance Manager and Kit Davies, Principal and CEO of North Herts College (NHC) on the Stevenage Works Skills Agenda.

The presentation gave an overview of the Skills Agenda and included details of the timeline, what was coming up in 2025/26 and detailed a number of case studies.

In relation to the Framework, Council was advised that the key target cohort were young people, people with barriers to employment alongside people in employment.  The key target sectors would include Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM), Creative and Cultural, Construction, Environment, Technology and Energy, Public Services and Retail and Hospitality. In addition, the Council had a well-established Stevenage Works programme, with the Council working with North Herts College and Job Centre Plus to provide Construction Skills and Health and Social Care training.  Over 550 local people had benefitted from the Construction Skills training programme.

2025/26 would see a new NHC skills facility in place of the current Indoor Market site, launch of Phase 2 of Pioneering Young STEM Futures, SITEC Phase 2 and an expansion of Stevenage Works into the Health and Social Care Sector.

A number of comments and questions, were raised by Members including:

·         STEAM – the involvement of the Arts was an important inclusion and many transferrable skills such as digital design would transfer across.  Further work on the inclusion of Arts would be a focus.  Although Arts courses were a focus for the Hitchin campus, the Stevenage Campus now included many areas such as the gaming suite;

·         The Leader of the Council reiterated the Council’s continued support to the Skills Agenda in its vision to raise the aspirations and attainments and providing opportunities for the young people in Stevenage;

·         In response to a question regarding the relationship with the Job Centre and the Department for Work and Pensions, Members were advised that ideas were shared on a regular basis and that regional plans were underway involving various sectors including employability and back to work schemes for the construction and health areas;

·         It was noted that although the funding landscape was complicated, the opportunity to draw in additional funding to support this work was a priority for the Council and the college;

·         Members welcomed the case studies reported and were pleased to see both the education and employment opportunities taken up by the young people referred to;

·         In response to a question regarding parental involvement, it was agreed that the influence of role models was key for young people.  Work was currently ongoing with the County Council and through community days and local school engagement to make sure there were opportunities for parents to get involved with the STEM Centre and Mission 44 work;

·         The Council’s ambition had grown throughout the process which had been shown by the expansion into a number of additional sectors.

The Mayor thanked Daryl and Kit for their presentation.

None received.

There was no community presentation.

To receive a community presentation from Cycling UK Stevenage.

None received.

None received.

There were no community presentations.