Wirral has a complex post 16 education and learning landscape.  Wirral’s young people who made the transition at age 16 into further education and training had a number of options and pathways including school sixth form, further education (including study programme provision) and Apprenticeships. Post 16 opportunities were accessible locally.  However, young people may choose to travel for specialist learning to a neighbouring local authority or beyond.

The Lifelong Learning Strategy Manager presented a report that identified the numbers of young people transitioning into post 16 learning and training opportunities whilst also assessing how successful they were by pathway. An analysis of learner attainment on entry to post 16 learning (all learning routes) had been completed in addition to valued added performance for some sectors. The report analysed the current destination data for Wirral young people upon leaving key stage 4 at age 16 and key stage 5 sixth form provision at age 18. In doing so the report supported Pledge 3 from the Wirral 20:20 Vision: Young people are ready for adulthood and employment.

The Lifelong Learning Strategy Manager informed that young people’s post 16 participation rates in the borough were currently at or above sub-regional and regional averages. Challenges currently exist with recognised apprenticeship participation which was at an all-time low. To support this, schools and academies had to meet their statutory duty to provide robust, impartial careers education, information, advice and guidance. The Council must also ensure there was sufficient and suitable education and training provision to meet young people’s needs. 

The Committee noted that the national perspective on what was required of the education system in relation to young people beyond the age of 16 had changed significantly over recent years, and was continuing to evolve. There had been a fundamental national reappraisal of the purpose of post-16 education and training, driven by the following three key factors:

·  The Government’s Post 16 Skills Plan aims to revitalise technical education policy with vocational ‘T Levels’ at the same level as A levels. Wirral’s Further Education sector will need to ensure readiness to meet the opportunities presented by T Levels prior to 2020. The ability to offer quality work placements will underpin a shift-change in employer involvement.

·  Government Apprenticeship reforms have resulted in all apprenticeships being real paid jobs; having a minimum duration of 12 months and involve sustained training and clear skills gain with at least 20% off-the-job training. The Government also introduced the Apprenticeship levy for large private and public sector employers from April 2017.

·  There is an economic need to increase the number of young people receiving technical and vocational education to meet the demands of the future workforce. This demand is driven by a significant future need for new employees to replace those leaving an ageing workforce, and also the need for additional employees to meet the demands of economic growth. There is a political consensus that there should be an expansion in the number of young people taking apprenticeships and following work related education that is valued by Higher Education and/or Employers. This is necessary not only to meet labour market demands, but also to improve the employability of young people and thus further reduce the current levels of unemployment amongst young people.

It was noted that in addition to the national policy changes impacting on the roll and positioning of post 16 education there were also a number of substantial national developments which were influencing and shaping current and future services/delivery. The national influences having the greatest impact included:

·  Qualifications are changing to become more demanding in the areas of both academic and vocational education. This is particularly so at GCSE level where the new english and maths curricular is extremely challenging.

·  The apprenticeship reform agenda, including standards development, the removal of some level 2 opportunities and end point assessments are making this route way into employment inaccessible for some young people.

·    The number of local post 16 training providers delivering on Wirral has reduced year on year as a result of real terms funding cuts, increasing study programme curriculum demands and inflexibilities and the challenges of meeting the needs of vulnerable young people.

The Lifelong Learning Strategy Manager informed that locally, post 16 participation rates were good with some 93.5% (as at August 2018) of the 16 and 17 year old cohort (7,134 young people) participating in some form of employment, education and training (EET). The proportions of Wirral young people not in employment, education and/or training (NEET) had been maintained at a low level for the last 4 years. The local authority NEET national indicator (mean NEET for December, January and February 2018), published March 2018, detailed the average NEET to be 3.2 percent and Not Known 1.7 percent. Against the same indicator the Northwest NEET average was 3.4 percent and 3.1 percent Not Known. 

The Committee considered an analysis of Client Caseload Information Suite (CCIS) data (August 2018) which illustrated the proportions of young people that accessed the key types of local post 16 education and training provision. It also had regard to a diagram which illustrated, in general terms, how the current mainstream Education Funding Agency and Skills Funding Agency post 16 provision met the needs of young people locally. The diagram illustrated that the highest attaining young people at age 16 generally progressed into schools sixth form provision at a grammar school. Moving down the attainment continuum provision was offered at the sixth form college and other secondary schools.

It was reported that the majority of young people choosing vocational options do so at Wirral Metropolitan College where the specialist facilities and resources existed. Some schools, through their sixth form offer, were also offering increasing volumes of vocationally related qualifications. Those more vulnerable young people with a lower level of academic achievement would access first steps provision at an independent learning provider as a stepping stone to further education and/or training. GCSE maths and english were key components of all study programmes, particularly for those young people that had not achieved a grade 4 or above.

Members asked the Lifelong Learning Strategy Manager a number of questions which were answered accordingly. Matters discussed included the following:

·  The number of young people who were employed in education or training should be celebrated and everyone involved in helping to reduce the number of people in NEET were to be congratulated.

·  The Sale Sharks Community Trust Project tackled youth unemployment and sought to boost job prospects for 16 to 18 year olds. There had been one cohort so far and it was delivered at the Hive in a secure supportive environment. It was for those predominantly 17 year olds who had certain vulnerabilities or were vocationally undecided. It plugged a gap and gave young people the confidence to make that next step. Young people who accessed this were from right across the Borough and often were from the “hotspots” areas of Birkenhead, Seacombe, Tranmere and Rockferry.

·  Schools with smaller sixth forms had less success.  An independent review of sixth form provision had been conducted approximately two years ago.  It was fed back through WASH and the outcome was that in schools with small sixth forms there was a correlation in terms of young people’s attainment in those schools.  The challenge was to work with Headteachers to shift that provision but there was not a willingness among Headteachers to lose their sixth form provision. The recommendation of the consultant was that if that was the scenario it should be left to the market to shape that type of provision.

·  The Service would continue to prioritise the ‘Ways to Work’ supported employment grants (European Social Fund monies) for young people aged 16 to 21 currently not in employment, education and/or training. There had been an extension of European funding granted by DWP and in terms of funding Officers were working with Officers in the Combined Authority on an extension to the programme. Post 2020 Officers were working with the Combined Authority on an extension to the programme.  There were some underspends in the London Boroughs that Officers were trying to access and the underspends linked back to the Youth Employment initiative and they hoped to combine that with the extension which the DWP were granting the Council around European funding to create a new programme which would come under strand 1.3.  This would take the Service up to March 2022.  Officers were also looking at professional careers information advice and guidance which was also funded under the European programme at the moment and that would also be extended hopefully to 2022. 

·  There was a lean and well connected team who go out and work almost on a pastoral basis both with employers and with the young people who provide intermediary that enables and cajoles employees to give first, second, third and fourth chances. There was a whole series of different barriers that some of these vulnerable young people were faced with. The Team worked with Social care colleagues to support these young people moving forward.  These young people would start to develop their talents, routines and employability skills and employers could knock any rough edges off.  This was a sustained opportunity for these young people.

·  Officers were trying to ensure that the Council’s contractors offered ring fenced opportunities to care leavers.

RESOLVED: That

(1)  the following actions taken to support young people be noted:

(a)  Children’s Services (14-19 Team) and the Strategic Commissioning team will continue to develop and pursue new innovative approaches to leaver social value from the Council’s contractors and service providers. Social value in this context involves offering ‘ring fenced’ employment opportunities to vulnerable young people currently not in employment, education and/or training (NEET).  A model has been established, tested and trialled with BIFFA and Continental Landscaping.

(b)  Ensure that Wirral Growth Company and Wirral Waters developments prioritise opportunities for Wirral young people. Children’s Services (14-19 Team) will be represented at planning meetings with MUSE Developments alongside Wirral Metropolitan College. The Council’s 14-19 Team will identify the NEET young people and make referrals as appropriate. Detailed planning dialogue regarding opportunities for young people commenced in January 2019.

(c)  The Council will produce and publish a local skills strategy, led by the Place and Investment team that clearly identifies local growth, replacement employment sectors and the skills and attributes key to a prosperous local economy. The education sector (particularly schools) need to understand local employer plans regarding workforce succession planning and future industry skills needs. Greater intelligence in this area will help educators support meeting the demand for skills from local employers.

(d)  Providing quality careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) to compulsory school age children is key to raising aspirations and supporting robust careers decision making. Delivery of careers education is the statutory responsibility of schools and academies. The Council’s 14-19 Service will continue to resource, support and challenge schools to shape and inform their CEIAG programme offer but also scrutinise existing practice.

(e)  Continue to prioritise the ‘Ways to Work’ supported employment grants (European Social Fund monies) for young people aged 16 to 21 currently not in employment, education and / or training.  The grant can provide a real opportunity for the most vulnerable young people of the Borough for whom local employers might not ordinarily take a chance on. The programme has proved that, with the right support, employment can be sustained beyond the grant phase and young people can have a happy and prosperous future. Of the 168 participants between June 2016 and July 2018, 64 percent were sustained in employment beyond grant funding. The grant will be in place until March 2020.

(2)  a copy of the NEET map be sent to all Members of the Committee.