|
New approach to
skills and employment
A NEW approach to improving
skills and employment is set to be approved by Liverpool City
Council. The Skills and Employment Framework were presented to
the Mayor's Cabinet on Friday, 31 August 2012, which included proposals to
increase skills and employment for thousands of people, and support
companies to create hundreds of jobs and apprenticeships.
Although Liverpool has grown its economy faster than any other major
'core' city outside of London in recent years, it has started from a
much lower base than other places. And despite major
improvements in educational attainment; with the number of school
pupils getting 5 good GCSEs now above the national average; around
18% of residents have no qualifications at all, meaning they
struggle to find employment.
A total of 67,580 individuals are currently classed as workless,
which equates to 22% of the working age population. In addition, a
further 1,768 young people are classed as not in education,
employment or training (NEET).
To tackle this, over the next 3 years, the
City Council is aiming
to:-
►
Move 2,000 young people into employment, training or learning
► Provide business support to help
local companies create 200 jobs
► Create 800 employment and
apprenticeship opportunities through the council's procurement and
development processes
► Increase the number of residents
with NVQ Level 2 skills by 1,200 and NVQ Level 4 skills by 2,000
► Reduce the number of young people
classed as NEET by 50%
Councillor Nick Small, Cabinet member for employment, enterprise and
skills, said:- "We are fully committed to doing all we can to
help people into employment, but in order to achieve our ambitions
we must make sure local residents have the skills to compete for
jobs.
Although we have made huge progress over the last few years, we know
we have far more to do if we are to tackle some of the long standing
issues around worklessness which have existed for many decades.
We have to work better at breaking down the barriers that prevent
people from accessing employment and make sure they are in a
position to grab the attention of employers. Competition for jobs is
tougher than ever and if you haven't got the skills you simply won't
get an interview. We are already playing our part by giving
firms a financial incentive to take on apprentices and giving
businesses support to find employees with the right skills as part
of our commitment to attracting 20,000 jobs over the next 4 years."
The new Framework identifies 6 key priorities for action to address
the challenges:-
►
Creating a demand-led system which places the private sector at the
heart of skills planning and delivery
► Supporting the development of
employment opportunities and employability skills, increasing the
opportunities residents have to compete in the local job market
► Preventing young people becoming
NEET (not in education, employment or training)
► Introducing a new city-wide
apprenticeship programme
► Increasing the number of residents
with higher-level skills and supporting high-growth businesses
► Creating a new approach to delivery by
the City Council |
 |
Funding to
support job creation
OVER 1,500 jobs are set to
be created across Liverpool City Region using millions of pounds of
funding to support businesses.
Half of the money for the £10 million Merseyside Business Support
Programme is coming from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
with the remainder from local authorities and the private and
voluntary sector. It will assist 3,190 businesses across the
City Region by the end of July 2014, with 1,721 of them in
Liverpool.
Liverpool, Halton, Sefton, Knowsley, Wirral and St Helens Councils
have joined forces with voluntary and community sector
representatives for the project, which will help local businesses
maximize their job creation opportunities and target people from
disadvantaged areas. It is particularly aimed at priority
employment sectors in the super port, low carbon, knowledge and
visitor economies.
A total of 998 jobs will be created in Liverpool; 115 in Halton; 125
in Sefton; 125 in Knowsley and 57 in Wirral. In addition, Vauxhall
Neighbourhood Council; Sefton CVS; ELECT (East Liverpool Economic
Community Trust Ltd); Wirral CVS and Halton and St Helens VCA will
support businesses to create a total of a further 152 jobs.
Councillor Nick Small, Liverpool's Cabinet member for employment,
enterprise and skills, said:- "This is a substantial sum of
money which will enable us to help and support firms as they strive
to expand.
We want to make sure that people living in the most deprived parts
of the city region benefit from job opportunities.
We will be providing expert assistance to those who can help us
achieve our aim of increasing the skills and confidence of people in
these communities to become ready to access employment."
A further 1,101 jobs will be safeguarded through the programme.
Liverpool
self-employment course from Royal Charity helps over 50s bring new
business to the area
UNEMPLOYMENT amongst over
50s is rising in the North West, but HRH The Prince of Wales'
charity, The Prince's Initiative, is tackling the problem by
bringing its successful self-employment course to Liverpool.
In the North West there are over 29,000 over 50s claiming job
seekers allowance, which is why The Prince's Initiative (the only
organisation dedicated to supporting unemployed over 50s explore
self-employment) is expanding its services to the region. With 48%
of over 50s more likely to succeed in business creation than any
other age group, The Prince's Initiative believe that
self-employment is a fantastic and fulfilling solution for the over
50s.
The Prince's Initiative will be kicking off its services by running
their free "Preparing to Run Your Own Business"
course in
Liverpool. The course starts on 9 September 2012 and takes entrepreneurs
over the age of 50 in straightforward steps through the challenging
process of planning to start a business.
Rod Boyes, attended one of the "Preparing to Run Your Own
Business" courses and has since gone on to create his own
company Pinegrove leather. He says of the course, "The course
was fantastic and helped me learn all the necessary skills needed to
set up in business; such as cash flow and negotiating with
customers and suppliers; as well as providing an inspiring and fun
environment to learn within." If you are unemployed or facing redundancy, why not join The
Prince's Initiative at their "Preparing to Run Your Own Business"
course in Liverpool by
email, calling:- 0845 862 2023 or visiting:-
prime.org.uk/courses for more information.
|
