Agenda item

Purpose of the report: To seek Community, Environment and Highways Select Committee’s comments on the Skills Plan for Surrey in advance of Cabinet considering it at their meeting on 25 October 2022.

Witnesses:

Matt Furniss, Cabinet Member for Transport, Infrastructure and Growth

Michael Coughlin, Executive Director of Partnerships, Prosperity and Growth

Jack Kennedy, Head of Economy and Growth

The Cabinet Member for Transport, Infrastructure and Growth summarised the role of skills development in securing economic and inclusion outcomes, aligning with Surrey County Council’s (SCC) strategic focus on ‘Growing a sustainable economy from which everyone can benefit’ and underlying principle of ‘no-one left behind’.

Key points raised during the discussion:

1. The Chairman asked how the success of this ambitious agenda would be assessed and would there be the capacity to amend the strategy if required. The Cabinet Member for Transport, Infrastructure and Growth confirmed the Skills Plan, which would be shared with the Communities, Environment and Highways Select Committee, would include measures against each objective adding that the document would continually be updated to reflect changing skill requirements going forward. The Executive Director of Partnerships, Prosperity and Growth noted longer term difficulties, particularly where the Council was not the direct deliverer of programmes and noted three strategic aims over the longer term: the number of people accessing opportunities; the levels of qualifications and skills improving; and ensuring that businesses remain within Surrey and are able to recruit from within the County due to an increase in residents entering employment. The Chairman requested that the Communities, Environment and Highways Select Committee see a copy of the Cabinet paper. Action - Cabinet Member for Transport and Growth/ Executive Director of Partnerships, Prosperity and Growth

2. A Member asked if basic skills for those that had missed a formal education would be included in the plan. The Cabinet Member for Transport, Infrastructure and Growth confirmed that basic skills would be addressed through the lifelong learning element via Surrey’s maintained schools with this offer being extended to academy schools.

3. A Member queried how future skill requirements could be predicted. The Cabinet Member for Transport, Infrastructure and Growth explained that input regarding future skills from business leaders and companies would be reflected in the future Skills Plan. The Executive Director of Partnerships, Prosperity and Growth added that businesses and education providers were brought together through the Surrey Skills Forum enabling direct conversations around short and long-term requirements.

4. A Member, in referring to paragraph 9 of the report, queried how residents facing barriers could enter and progress through the skills and employment system in practice. The Executive Director of Partnerships, Prosperity and Growth reiterated the focus of SCC to convene and facilitate contact between education providers, businesses and residents with a view to simplifying navigation of the scheme.

5. A Member said that there was a lack of guidance for young people not planning to go to university. The Executive Director of Partnerships, Prosperity and Growth explained that the Skills Plan paper addressed the gap – caused by the predilection of young people going to university –with discussions taking place with both Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) around an enhanced career service to provide the alternative guidance required.

6. A Member said that more detail could be provided on how the Council could lead from the front on the Skills Plan. The Cabinet Member for Transport, Infrastructure and Growth confirmed that as an employer, the Council had a good set of training programmes and a number of apprenticeships, however, there were challenges around offering jobs on completion of qualifications –continued work with businesses was required to ensure opportunities were available following training. The Cabinet Member for Transport, Infrastructure and Growth added that a focus to signpost people in the right direction and design apprenticeships for people to access at an earlier age than currently happens was key to leading from the front.

7. A Member requested clarification around actions that had already been taken in areas such as the Enterprise M3 (EM3) Principal Skills Hub and timelines, noting that knowledge of this information would avoid a duplication of efforts. The Executive Director of Partnerships, Prosperity and Growth said that the government dictated the national context around skills and a requirement for local skills improvement programmes, led by employer representative bodies would be produced by May or June 2023. The Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPS) would be brought together by the footprint of the Local Community Investment Plan (LCIP) reaching across the east of Surrey. In addition, a summary plan bringing together residents, business and providers has been initiated to fully reflect the needs of the County and allow greater coherence.

8. The Executive Director of Partnerships, Prosperity and Growth said that the information included in the paper was deliberately open ended to allow for members’ feedback and comments to be reflected in the report to Cabinet. He offered to bring the final policy back to the Communities, Environment and Highways (CEH) Select Committee for scrutiny after this. The Chairman welcomed the opportunity for the Communities, Environment and Highways Select Committee to scrutinise the final policy in 2023. Action – Executive Director of Partnerships, Prosperity and Growth

9. A Member was concerned at the lack of indicative costs and information around the level of senior management required in the paper. The Executive Director of Partnerships, Prosperity and Growth said that recruitment was underway for a specific skills post to work alongside the Head of Economy and Growth; a role dedicated to skills. An application for transformational funding had been submitted to support the roll out and development of the skills plan and resources were in place to drive the plan forward.

10. A Member asked if investment zones to support the Council’s Skills Plan had been explored following the recent announcement from the government? The Leader of the Council confirmed the intention to submit three proposals for investment zones with approval being sought from the local planning authority by the 14 October 2022 expression of interest deadline.

11. The Chairman, in referring to paragraph 17, queried if schools could be expected to meet the expectation of providing meaningful encounters to develop the skills uplift. The Cabinet Member for Transport, Infrastructure and Growth said that whilst the signs were encouraging, difficulties were expected around transporting students to businesses with SCC planning to undertake work to facilitate these journeys.

Resolved:

The Communities, Environment and Highways Select Committee:

1. Agrees that private sector employers (large, medium and small) should take the lead in improving skills with important roles for public sector organisations (Universities, Schools, National Health Service (NHS), Surrey County Council, districts and boroughs etc.) but these need robust definition and clarity of their input.

2. Accepts the ambitions of the Plan and the eventual Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) but needs assurance that a robust performance measurement system and timeline (where appropriate) will be put in place to monitor progress and to adjust the strategy if evidence so requires.

3. Appreciates the inevitably limited role that Surrey County Council will play in the plan but argues that its practical role as one of the key procurers and deliverers of services, as well as of strategic leadership be better defined.

4. Requests that the final version to Cabinet on 25 October 2022 addresses the aforementioned points.

Cameron McIntosh left the meeting at 11.07am for this item due to an interest in item 6, A County Deal Update