Thames Valley Berkshire LEP European Social Fund Webinar:Supporting employers to promote career opportunities and experience of the world of work in Thames Valley Berkshire

Welcome and introductions

Joanna Birrell – Programme Lead

Allison Giles – Senior Enterprise Co-ordinator, Thames Valley Berkshire LEP

Laura Davis - British Association of Supported Employment

Andy Luff - ACL European*

*retained by Thames Valley Berkshire LEP to provide technical assistance to applicants

Agenda

1. Introduction

2. Skills, Education and Employment in Thames Valley Berkshire

3. Thames Valley Berkshire ESF allocation – priority for investment

4. The CEC programme in Thames Valley Berkshire

5. Supporting SEND learners

6. Technical Assistance and the application process

7. Partner finder

8. Q & A

Joanna BirrellProgramme Lead

Growth Hub FundingRevenue

£3.4m

To finance the operation of the Berkshire Business Growth Hub over the period 2014-2021, from the following sources:

• Regional Growth Fund

• BEIS• RDA Legacy

Funds• ERDF• Private Sector

Growing Places Fund (GPF)Capital

£15m

A revolving fund, intended to stimulate economic activity by addressing infrastructure and site constraints, and promoting the delivery of jobs & housing.

European Structural and

Investment Funds

>£26m

Over the period 2014-2020. With match funding, this represents c.£52m investment over seven years

Careers & Enterprise Company

£66k

The Berkshire Enterprise Adviser Network, a joint initiative by the CEC and the LEP, is formed of local business people who work one-to-one with school and college leaders, helping them to develop effective employer engagement plans, drawing on existing, local business networks

Local Growth Funds (LGF)Capital

£142m

LGF ring-fenced to implement specific projects in the SEP. Profiled over six years from 2015/16

Includes £4 million for Skills Capital Projects – to date invested in:• Newbury SL• Reading SL Eng• Reading SL IT• BCA SL• HealthReach

Likely to be replaced by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund from 2021

Business Rates Retention Pilot

£36m

Over two years (2018-2020) for strategic infrastructure

Summary

ESF Call details

• Up to £1,088,029 of ESF funding is available

• DWP will award contracts with a minimum value of £270k

• Projects must be completed no later than 3 years and 6 months after the proposed project start date; however, the Managing Authority reserves the right to vary the maximum duration in exceptional circumstances.

• All ESF Projects must be completed by 31st December 2023. Project costs cannot be incurred beyond this date

• Does require match funding – this is not an opt in call

• Andy Luff is providing technical assistance and can provide guidance on match funding

ESF Call details

• Deliver activities that showcase career pathways and progression opportunities in the LEP’s priority job families, e.g. through careers events and fairs that are inclusive and accessible to all young people, including those with additional learning needs;

• Support employers to develop and offer experiences of work, apprenticeship and job opportunities, particularly recognising the forthcoming need for T level students to do an extended work experience placement

ESF Call details

• Support employers to deliver activities that will help young people in school years 10 to 13 as well as those under the age of 25 to transition effectively from schools to T levels and apprenticeships. This could include activities such as mentoring, team building and transferable employability skills and must be accessible for all young people, including those with additional learning needs; and

• Co-ordinate activities and simplify the process for employers by encouraging collaboration between different organisations and ensuring information about activities, offers and associated resources are easily accessible

ESF Call background

• Our 2018 Skills Priority Statement identified that there is a disconnect between employers, education providers and young people and made the following recommendations • Encourage more firms to offer work experience/work inspiration and introduce a

Berkshire wide programme that promotes the experience of work to young people.

• Promote the wealth of opportunities available in the Berkshire economy to young people.

• Provide high quality employability training provision.

• Help young people make informed decisions, particularly in relation to Apprenticeships (including degree apprenticeships)

Useful resources:

Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership

• Skills Priority Statement– Evidence base– Infographics

• STEAM Strategy• Job Family Factsheets• Careers in Berkshire 2018www.thamesvalleyberkshire.co.uk/skills-and-employment

• TVB Enterprise Adviser Networkwww.thamesvalleyberkshire.co.uk/enterprise-adviser-network

• The Careers and Enterprise Companywww.careersandenterprise.co.uk/

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2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17

Digital Technologies Job Family

Thames Valley Berkshire LEP investment

Digital Gum - a six-week course which aims to help apprentices and return-to-work parents fast track their digital careers. The project is funded by the LEP using

Growing Places Funds

National skills shortages(Tier 2 Shortage Occupation List)

• IT product manager • Systems engineer, software

developer, shader writer and games designer in visual effects and 2D/3D computer animation

• Data scientist• Senior developer • Cyber security specialist

Digital technologies Apprenticeship starts (Berkshire learners)

There were only 144 A-level examination entries for

Computing A-levels in state-funded schools in Berkshire in

2015/16, out of a total of 12,266 entries for all subjects

Local institutions Location Type of provision

QA Slough Th UK's leading IT training provider, with over 1,500 IT and project management courses including Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, PRINCE2

University of Reading Reading BSc, MSc and Phd in Computer Science

Windsor Forest Colleges Group

Langley and Windsor

A+ Certificate L2, CCNA Routing and Switching (CCENT), IT Higher Apprenticeship L4, software packages including Excel and Microsoft Office, Computing Diploma L3, Digital Marketer Apprenticeship L3, Information & Creative Technology BTEC Extended Certificate, L2

Newbury College Newbury Computing & Systems Development L4 HNC Diploma, IT Professional Apprenticeship, IT Computing L3 Extended Diploma

Bracknell and Wokingham College

Bracknell and Wokingham

IT BTEC Extended Certificate L2, IT BTEC Extended Diploma L3

Reading College Reading Computing (Security) HND, Computing HNC, ICT L1 Foundation Pathway, ICT Practitioners BTEC L2 Award, ICT Practitioners BTEC L3 Extended Diploma, IT and Telecoms L3 Advanced Apprenticeship

Future workforce strategies

Train and retain Retaining overseas workers, utilising the Apprenticeship Levy to develop staff

Diversify workforce Working with schools to promote tech careers to non-traditional recruits, providing flexible working, reviewing working hours expectations

Creating sense of place

Creating the physical environment that attracts cutting edge start-ups and thus the next generation of tech talent

Employees 55,700 (11% of all employee jobs in TVB)

Self-employment 7,900

Employee jobs growth projection (2016-2024) 6% (3,550 additional jobs)

Proportion of workforce over the age of 55 (TVB figure)

9% (low)

Migrant workforce (national figure) 13% (medium)

Automation potential (national figure) 27% (medium)

Male:Female ratio (TVB figure) 83:17

Workforce Challenge:Competing with London and high paying corporates

60% of respondents to the 2017 Berkshire Skills Survey said they found it difficult to recruit tech professionals as they couldn’t meet the salary demands of applicants.

Digital Technologies Job Family

Major digital tech multinationals including Vodafone, Microsoft, Oracle and Cisco Systems have long understood the locational benefits of the Thames Valley. Many multinationals are based at Green Park, whilst the Thames Valley Science Park is home to 70 companies, ranging from early stage start-ups to global R&D centres.

47% of start-ups surveyed by Tech City UK said that a lack of highly skilled workers was their main challenge.

Reading – 10,800 jobsSlough – 7,000 jobs

Windsor and Maidenhead – 6,850 jobs

West Berkshire –11,800 jobs

Wokingham –11,000 jobs Bracknell Forest – 8,350 jobs

Workforce Challenge: Diversity

Fewer women are studying technology based subjects at school and university meaning employers have fewer women to choose from when recruiting.

Workforce Challenge: Overseas talent

Entrepreneurs are concerned about the extent to which tech communities depend on a flow of overseas talent from EU and non-EU countries to run their businesses. Of the 13% foreign nationals working in the UK tech industry who are not from the UK, just over half are from outside the EU.

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2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000Number of jobs by occupation

Allison GilesSenior Enterprise Co-ordinator, Thames Valley Berkshire LEP

#BerksEnterpriseAdvisers

What good looks like

The CEC ‘What Works’ in careers and Enterprise research key findings:

• There are different effects for different activities

• How these activities are sequenced together matters and

• How well they are implemented makes a difference

#BerksEnterpriseAdvisers

Benchmarks 5 and 6

#BerksEnterpriseAdvisers

What works – Benchmark 5

Evidence - Employer Encounters at every level

• employer mentoring

• enterprise competitions

• work related learning provided in cooperation with employers

• 1-2 week work experiences

• career learning co-delivered by teachers and employers

• careers talks

• careers websites

• curriculum learning co-delivered by teachers and employers

• cv workshops

• employer delivered employability skills workshops

• enterprise activities

• mock interviews

• work place visits

#BerksEnterpriseAdvisers

Local need

• Impactful Careers fairs

• Mentoring –specific groups of students

• Employer speed networking – information on employment, employers and pathways

• CV workshops/Mock interviews/Mock assessment centres - mock applications

• Enterprise / off –timetable days, projects using employers

• STEM workshops/ STEM Learning resources

• Business games/ competitions

• Curriculum learning/ employers speaking / co-creating lessons / projects

• Alumni support

• Entrepreneurial skills / learning

• Information about different industry sectors / LEP priority areas

#BerksEnterpriseAdvisers

What Works – Benchmark 6

• Student Satisfaction - Enjoyable experience / more challenging the better

• Employability Skills - Communication and interpersonal skills, confidence and maturity, team working, time management, problem solving skills

• Personal Effectiveness - Motivation to do well at school

• Educational Outcomes - Progression to further education

• Career Readiness - Decide on potential career options, insight into world of work

• Career Outcomes - Positive destinations, access to part-time work

#BerksEnterpriseAdvisers

Local Need

• Variety of placements: visits (1 hour – 1 day); group exercises, workshops, networking events, presentations, Q&A sessions, and site tours

• Work experience (1-2 weeks)

• High-quality placements

• Incorporating different role models to challenge class and gender stereotypes

• Range of skilled placements aligned to aspirations career ambitions

• Placement to provide structured meaningful activities

• Clearly defined learning outcomes.

• Aligned to a variety of industry sectors/ LEP priority sectors

Laura DavisBritish Association of Supported Employment

Making the world of work inclusive

Support for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

Background

• The employment rates for people with a disability remain low

• Employers have not been viewed as an equal partner

• Currently a lack of ambition and aspiration in the system

• Disconnect between the skills young people are developing and what employers need

• Employers need to understand the business benefits of offering work experience, study programs and Apprenticeships to young people with SEND.

What works - Place Train & Maintain Model

Fundamental to supported employment is that everyone can work with the right job and the right support. Work readiness is

not a helpful concept!!!!

What works

• Having high aspirations for both the young person and employer

• Promote the business benefits of offering young people with a disability

• Promote a range of study programs, including good quality work experience, traineeships, supported internships and Apprenticeships

• Promoting the social model of disability

• Promoting reasonable adjustments throughout the process including access to work funding

• Qualified Job coaches providing in work support

Andy LuffACL European

ESF Application Process

• Single stage (Full-Application)

• Detailed project description (clear diagram of project stages)

• Delivery partners and sub-contractors (to be procured)

• Delivery model/evidence of good practice

• Strategic fit

• Project timetable/milestones

• Costs, funding (match), ESF Outputs and Results

• Governance and compliance (procurement, publicity and state aid)

ESF Application Process (2)

• Also required:

• Equal Opportunities Policy and Implementation Plan

• Specific IP 2.2 Annex (extra VFM justification)

• Appraisal and Approval Process

• Assessed via Gateway criteria and scored v Core Criteria

• Appraisal questions

• TVB ESIF Sub-Committee assesses local strategic fit and VFM

• Grant Funding Agreement (GFA)

ESF Match Funding

Minimum 50% of eligible costs required as match funding

• Salaries (plus salary on-cost – e.g. NI and pension)

• Direct project costs (if applicable)

Flat Rate Simplified Cost Options

• 15% of salary cost to cover ‘indirect overheads’

• 40% of salary cost to cover ALL other costs

ESF Support

• Programme Guidance Available

• Via .GOV website

• TVB LEP Facilitation Offer

• Critical Friend

• Can review draft applications – answer technical questions

• Contact andy.luff@europeanfunding.org.uk – 07825 827210

Next steps and Partner Finder

• Closing date for applications is 10 July 2019

• If there are any partners or organisations that may be interested in partnership working please complete the partner register and return this to joanna@thamesvalleyberkshire.co.uk by Monday 13 May 2019.

• This will be circulated to interested partners on Friday 17 May 2019