Issue - meetings

RESOLVED:  That the Board:

i)               Approve the progression of ‘From teenagers to employee – A Sheffield City Region, engineering and advanced manufacturing talent pipeline creator’ project to full approval and award up to £0.495m grant to Sheffield UTC Sheffield subject to the conditions set out in the Appraisal Panel Summary Table attached at Appendix A and subject to the value for money calculation being re-run with the omission of adult learners and that safeguarding protocols are in place for adult learning only to take place atevenings and weekends with the majority of equipment time prioritised for learners aged 13-19.

ii)              Delegate authority to the Head of Paid Service, in conjunction with the Section 73 and the Monitoring Officer, to enter into the contractual arrangements required as a result of the above approval.

A report was considered that requested approval for Sheffield’s UTC scheme with a Local Growth Fund grant value of £0.495m.

Sheffield UTC had requested the grant to support a £1.11m scheme to purchase and install specialist machining and automation equipment at their Sheffield City Centre site.

The investment would allow the UTC to respond and adapt to changing technology and demands from the employer base ensuring that young people and adults were equipped with the skills needed by two priority sectors (engineering and digital).

Members noted that as the project was estimated to support 500 gross additional learners over a period of ten years with an estimated 169 of the net additional learners moving into employment, it was considered acceptable value for money for the LGF investment.

Appendix A provided a summary of the scheme appraisal and the suggested conditions of the award.

Members raised concerns about the inclusion of adults in the scheme as the UTC was there to train 14 to 19 year-olds skills for the future workplace, citing safeguarding issues and also setting a precedent for future adult use.

Officers explained that they had pushed for adults to be included as this would mean the ability to offer employers the chance to upskill their workforce.  There would be minimal adult participation (30 learners) and sessions would take place in the evenings and at weekends.

The Board asked if they were in position to ask for change.

R Adams replied that there was the option to take the adults out as long as the scheme still represented good value for money.

The Board agreed to this suggestion but also agreed to leaving the adults in the project if removing them meant that the project was not value for money.

RESOLVED:  That the Board:

i)               Approve the progression of ‘From teenagers to employee – A Sheffield City Region, engineering and advanced manufacturing talent pipeline creator’ project to full approval and award up to £0.495m grant to Sheffield UTC Sheffield subject to the conditions set out in the Appraisal Panel Summary Table attached at Appendix A and subject to the value for money calculation being re-run with the omission of adult learners and that safeguarding protocols are in place for adult learning only to take place at evenings and weekends with the majority of equipment time prioritised for learners aged 13-19.

ii)              Delegate authority to the Head of Paid Service, in conjunction with the Section 73 and the Monitoring Officer, to enter into the contractual arrangements required as a result of the above approval.