Agenda item - Update on Employer Skills Task Force and Apprenticeship Brokerage Service

Report of the Chair, Greater Brighton Officer Programme Board (copy attached).

1)            That the Board note the progress that has been made and to endorse the next steps at 3.22 to 3.26 of the report.

15.1      The Board considered a report of the Chair, Greater Brighton Officer Programme Board that set progress on proposals for a Greater Brighton Apprenticeship organisation and an update on the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership’s (C2C LEP) Enterprise Advisor Network Pilot which helped promote apprenticeships and strategic links between businesses and schools.

15.2      Councillor Wall noted that the proposals appeared focussed on one area of the City Region and asked what information had been garnered from other regions on how they work.

15.3      Nick Hibberd clarified that the Employer Skills Task Force (ESTF) had been established in July 2015 and had extended invitations to Greater Brighton employers to participate. The ESTF was employer-led with FE employers part of the task force. The proposals did have a city focus but in a city region context and there were elements such as transport that were wider regional issues. Furthermore, both Northbrook and City College had been consulted as part of the process.

15.4      Cheryl Finella added that there had been meetings with businesses from Mid-Sussex, Lewes, Adur & Worthing carried out to establish employer needs with further meeting with businesses in West and East Sussex scheduled.

15.5      The Chair noted that the pilot scheme had made tangible success with additional funding secured for a wider roll out of the scheme as detailed at paragraph 3.19. Enterprise Advisors had been working with schools across Mid-Sussex, Lewes, Adur & Worthing and Brighton to great success and it was planned that every school would eventually have an Enterprise Advisor.

15.6      Andrew Swayne noted that he was a Governor at Shoreham Academy which was part of the pilot and it had brought huge benefit to the school.

15.7      RESOLVED- That the Board note the progress that has been made and to endorse the next steps at 3.22 to 3.26 of the report.