Agenda item

Sue Sykes presented a paper which provided the Board with up to date performance information on all skills and employment programmes delivered by the SCR Executive on behalf of the LEP and MCA.

Attached were performance dashboards for the programmes for members to review.  These were:

• Local Growth Fund
• Working Win – the Health Led Employment Trial
• Skills Bank; and
• The Enterprise Advisor Network

With regard to the Local Growth Fund, the programme was on target to deliver the headline outputs and outcomes. Across the one completed project and seven projects that were currently in the delivery phase, six projects were performing to target.  Where targets were behind profile, enhanced monitoring would be implemented, and appropriate remedial action agreed.

The Working Win - Health led Employment Trial was delivering an intensive employment support programme in health settings.  It was available to anyone whether they were in work or not as long as they were registered with a GP in South Yorkshire or Bassetlaw.  The trial was currently below profile for people engaged in the service being tested, however numbers moving into or retaining work were exceeding the expected profile.  Cllr Lelliott suggested the project needed a higher public profile as she was unaware of it despite all the Council work she carried out.

The Skills Bank was a deal between the Government and the LEP aimed at delivering a new approach to workforce training, delivering co-investment deals based upon a desired rate of return.  Due to delays in the procurement of the provider Skills Bank 2 commenced delivery 10 months into the financial year 2018-19.  The result was a reduced delivery timescale of 14 months to deliver 2 years’ worth of targets.  An action plan was being put in place to increase the volume of deals and learner starts, the SCR Executive was working with the provider to boost referrals and conversion to training.

The Enterprise Advisor Network commissioned by the SCR Executive on behalf of the LEP, with funding from the Careers Enterprise Company, focused on supporting schools and colleges in SCR to ensure all pupils get multiple opportunities to learn from employers and gain meaningful first-hand experiences of the world of work.  All contractible targets for the EAN from the Careers and Enterprise Company had been achieved.

Members commented that there was a need to look at the impact on specific strategies and priorities, the profile of the beneficiaries and if targets had been met.

Communications also needed to be looked into to see if all channels available were being utilised.

A Risk Register was suggested for high risk projects.

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.