Agenda item

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of Main Issues

1.1       The purpose of this report is to seek approval for the allocation of Bridges to Progression resources based on the outcome of the competitive application process undertaken.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

·        Approve the allocation of Labour Market Partnership (LMP) resources for Bridges to Progression and note the proposals to seek proposals from delivery partners to provide targeted support that can improve outcomes for participants.

3.0       Main Report

3.1       Labour Market Partnership

            Members will be aware that the Labour Market Partnership is an intervention supported by DfC within all 11 council areas. Resources from the Labour Market Partnership enable the Council to increase the range and scope of employability and skills activity.  The LMP also provides a platform for engagement with government departments, community partners and business organisations as a means of refocusing regional programmes more effectively within the Belfast area.  The LMP action plan recognises that, while there are gaps that have been identified that will necessitate the creation of new interventions, not all activity need be new ‘provision’ or ‘programmes’; sometimes it is equally important to profile and/or promote existing interventions.  One of these interventions is Bridges to Progression which officers have ensured operates as a ‘test and learn’ to inform any recommissioning of Skills for Life & Work DfE contracts.

3.2       Bridges to Progression

            Bridges to Progression is an intervention to support young people aged 16-17 years who are at risk of disengaging from Skills for Life & Work due to their personal circumstances.  Participants can access intensive personal support to help them progress in and complete their formal training, with the ambition of improving the levels of progression into employment or further training.   Previous analysis had flagged a very high level of drop out from these programmes, particularly in Belfast.  It showed that the reasons behind participants no longer engaging with the programme related to wider social challenges – rather than the programme content itself. 

3.3       At the October 2023 meeting of the City Growth and Regeneration Committee, it was agreed that officers would seek expressions of interest from organisations delivering these programmes, outlining how they would use resources to add value to the core activity with the objective of improving outcomes for participants. It was also agreed that officers would undertake assessment of the applications for funding in line with the approach detailed in this report. 

3.4       While all Training for Success/Skills for Life & Work providers were invited to submit applications for 2023/24 outlining how they would use the resources, seven applied and six met the quality threshold.  Bridges to Progression offers an average of £750 per participant up to the maximum of £90,000 allocated from LMP Budget 2023/24:

3.5       While the LMP budget has £90,000 allocated for Bridges to Progression, the total cost of applications above was £117,977.  As outlined above, officers recommend to proportionally reduce each award to ensure that we keep within budget.

3.6       The key performance indicators are to engage with 120 young people at risk of disengaging from Skills for Life & Work for a minimum of 10 hours contact time.  With the submissions and awards as detailed above we are confident we can deliver a quality and effective intervention to support those most at risk of disengagement supporting a minimum of 120 young people.

            Officers are also engaging with the Department for the Economy to seek to incorporate the flexibility offered within Bridges to Progression with future iterations of Skills for Life & Work with the aim of improving employability outcomes.  The Department are keen to ensure that the learning from Bridges to Progression are utilised as a ‘testbed’ for innovative approaches to keep young people engaged on and progressing from statutory programmes such as Skills for Life & Work.  This engagement will therefore include establishing common measurement and evaluation tools and processes as well as convening targeted engagement with each provider and their participants to capture learning in real time.

3.7       Finance and Resource Implications

            The activities outlined in this report will be resourced from the agreed 2023/24 budget for the Belfast LMP Action Plan. 

3.8       Equality or Good Relations Implications/Rural Needs Assessment

            The project referenced in this report is informed by statistical research, stakeholder engagement and complementary policies and strategies. New projects or service areas are equality screened and a rural needs assessment completed.  Consideration is given to equality and good relation impacts at the initial stages of project development.”

            During discussion, one Member questioned the geographical spread of the Success/Skills for Life and Work Providers who would be delivering the scheme across the city. The Director of Economic Development advised that this information could be collated as part of the wider analysis of the scheme.

            The Committee:

·        Approved the allocation of Labour Market Partnership (LMP) resources for Bridges to Progression and noted the proposals would be sought from delivery partners to provide targeted support that could improve outcomes for participants; and

·        Noted that the geographical spread of providers and participants in the scheme would be collated as part of the wider analysis of the scheme.