Issue - meetings

[Report of the Director for Housing, Regeneration and Planning.  To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Employment, Skills and Corporate Services]

This report requests that Cabinet increase the contract amount for the Haringey Higher Level Skills programme, match funding GLA investment.

The Cabinet Member for Employment, Skills and Corporate Services introduced the report which sought approval to increase the provision of higher level skills qualifications in Haringey, which are required to enable residents to access Good Work opportunities in the neighbourhood and in the London labour market. 

The Assistant Director for Regeneration and Economic Development responded to a question from Councillor Ogiehor:

-           The focus on the programme was to help people to secure higher level skills so that the Council can address issues such as in work poverty. This meant targeting not just unemployed individuals, but also those in low wage and insecure employment. This approach was part of the Council's vision for a Good Economy which included helping residents secure Good Work, by which was meant, more secure work with better terms and conditions, so that residents and their families could improve their quality of life.

RESOLVED that Cabinet

1.         Approve match funding the GLA’s proposed investment into HHLS by a further £67,428, taking overall commitment to £517,428, and continuation of the GLA’s management thereof;

2.         Approve the reprofiled performance (4.3.1)

Reasons for decision

Need for higher level skills in fluctuating labour market

Most opportunities for Good Work in London, work that provides at minimum London Living Wage with opportunities for progression, require residents to have higher level skills to access. Higher level skills are considered as those at Level 3 (L3) and above (L3 is equiavalent to A levels and BTEC Nationals). Only 4% of jobs in the London Labour market require no qualifications and just 9% require NVQ1 (equivalent to GCSE grades 3,2,1).

Residents with L3 and above qualifications are under represented in Haringey compared to the wider labour market, meaning local people are locked out of accessing opportunities available to them.

The HHLS programme delivers L3 courses to unemployed residents focused on specific growth sectors identified in the Good Economy Recovery Action Plan (Construction, Railway Engineering, Health and Social Care). It also supports in work progression, providing the same L3 opportunities to residents in work with lower skills levels.

Demand

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, NLPC has seen a significant rise in the demand for the programme from residents, and has achieved all of its targeted output numbers for unemployed residents for the lifetime of the grant (original grant April 2019-March 2022, additional year agreed due to Covid19 disruption, end date March 2023). NLPC continues to provide employment support but is no longer able to register unemployed residents for L3 courses as funding to do so has been exhausted.

Value for money

By match-funding the GLA investment, we maximise the number of opportunities for higher level qualifications we can lever for residents from our investment, by March 2023:

The overall unit cost submitted with the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 636