Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Director of Education, Work and Skills.

The report provides the details relating to the Work and Skills Plan which is fundamental to establishing more sustainable, inclusive and a diverse economy that benefits everyone and has been drafted to complement the ambitions articulated in our other key strategies including our One Stockport Borough Plan, Economic Plan and Schools Strategy.

The Scrutiny Committee is asked to comment on and note the development of this work and skills plan.

Officer contact: Christopher Harland | 0161 521 1707 | christopher.harland@stockport.gov.uk

The Director of Education, Work & Skills submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) outlining the Work and Skills Plan which was fundamental to establishing more sustainable, inclusive and a diverse economy that benefited everyone and had been drafted to complement the ambitions articulated in our other key strategies including the One Stockport Borough Plan, Economic Plan and Schools Strategy.

The Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education (Councillor Wendy Meikle) attended the meeting to respond to questions from the Scrutiny Committee.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

·         The Plan was not yet in its final form, and was intended to start the process of consultation with a view to the finalised document being resubmitted to the scrutiny committee in June.

·         It was noted that there was a disparity in the figures within the report where data was being obtained from a number of sources including population data derived from the census and that around the number of Stockport jobs and employers.  The was made complex by the movement of people between boroughs for work purposes.

·         The Plan was written from the position that Stockport wanted all children to do better in school and not that we would accept that some children will not succeed.

·         Free career advice was provided to all vulnerable young people and a buyback service was offered to local schools for a universal information and advice service.

·         There was a demand for post-16 places that may not be being met within Stockport with significant numbers of young people travelling out of borough.  This had implications, particularly for the most vulnerable, who would be least likely to be able to access education and training provided out of borough.

·         More work needed to be done to understand whether the 32% of Stockport students who access post-16 places outside of Stockport were making a positive choice to do so, or whether this was driven by insufficiency of appropriate places in Stockport.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.