Outcome 1 and 2 - Progress on Argyll and Bute Employability Partnership (Ishabel Bremner)
Argyll and Bute Council · 22 June 2022
Back to Argyll and Bute Community Planning Partnership - Management Committee — 22 June 2022 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Argyll and Bute Employability Partnership Delivery Plan, 2022-25: CPP Management Committee – 22nd June 2022 Management Committee Date: 22nd June 2022 Argyll and Bute Employability Partnership Delivery Plan, 2022-25 1.0 Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this report is to seek approval from the Community Planning Partnership (CPP) Management Committee with regard to the Argyll and Bute Employability Partnership (ABEP) Delivery Plan, 2022-25. 2.0 Recommendations 2.1 The CPP Management Committee are asked to: Note the content of this paper. Note that the ABEP Delivery Plan, 2022-25 will be a working document going forward. Endorse the ABEP Delivery Plan, 2022-25 as the first finalised iteration. Endorse that bi-annual updates on the delivery of the ABEP Delivery Plan, 2022-25, are provided to the committee. 3.0 Background 3.1 The ABEP has been in existence as a discussion forum on employability issues and opportunities for a number of years. However, further to the signing of a partnership agreement between the Scottish Government and Local Government on 5th December 2018, there has been a stronger focus on delivering the shared ambition of the Scottish Government’s No One Left Behind (NOLB) policy agenda through all 32 of Scotland’s Local Employability Partnerships (LEPs). 3.2 NOLB is a programme of transformation which aims to change the employability system in Scotland to make it more adaptable, responsive and person-centred. Transforming the system will require collaborative leadership across all partners and a culture change in how services are designed, delivered and funded, in particular the move from national to increased local governance arrangements through LEPs. 3.3 A key focus of the Scottish Government’s NOLB Delivery Plan1 has been an increasing shift towards strengthening partnership working between the public, third and private sectors at the national and local level, user engagement, collaborative service design, shared measurement and a common approach to inclusive communications. 1 https://www.gov.scot/publications/no-one-left-behind-delivery-plan/pages/2/
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Argyll and Bute Employability Partnership Delivery Plan, 2022-25: CPP Management Committee – 22nd June 2022 3.4 The ABEP recognises that through stronger and more collaborative partnership working, focused on a place-based person-centred approach, will help to ensure suitable opportunities for individuals of all ages and capabilities through tackling socio-economic disadvantage, inequalities and removing multiple barriers to securing sustainable employment. On this basis, and as mandated by the Scottish Government, the ABEP has developed a Delivery Plan, 2022-25 as attached in Appendix 1, incorporating actions derived, with consultancy support, from an initial Improvement Action Plan, 2021-22. This Improvement Action Plan was approved by the CPP Management Committee on 29th September 2021. 4.0 Detail 4.1 Recognising the degree of variability of LEPs across Scotland, the Scottish Government noted the need for some consensus around structure and remit of employability partnerships, whilst allowing flexibility reflective of local circumstances. Therefore, the Scottish Government requested that all 32 LEPs were strengthening with the requirement to put in place a detailed Delivery Plan, 2022-25. 4.2 The ABEP Delivery Plan, 2022-25, contains a number actions focusing on the ABEP service delivery requirements and approach (see Table 3a) and the specific employability interventions (see Table 3b). 4.3 The overall outcome of this work is to determine how effectively partners in Argyll and Bute are meeting the needs and strengthening the delivery of the NOLB Employability agenda. It is important to note that the Delivery Plan, 2022- 25, is a working document that will be update on an ongoing basis to capture any new policy directions and/or interventions, complete with associated funding. Such regular reviews of the Deliver Plan will ensure the partnership is collectively meeting the employability needs of our local vulnerable residents and priority groups. 4.4 As agreed at the CPP Management Committee on 16th March 2022. Kirsty Flanagan, Executive Director, Argyll and Bute Council and Anthony Standing, Outcome 3 Lead, CPP Management Committee had the delegated authority to approval the submission of the initial draft ABEP Delivery Plan, 2022-25 to the Scottish Government early May 2022 along with a signed Offer of Grant for NOLB funding for 2022/23. The Scottish Government is now seeking finalised Delivery Plans complete with an Equality and Socio-Economic Impact Assessment (see Appendix 4 within the attached Delivery Plan), by the 30th June 2022. 5.0 Conclusions 5.1 The ABEP Delivery Plan, 2022-25, provides a platform for partners and stakeholders delivering employability services across Argyll and Bute to work together to identify opportunities, align priorities, learn from each other, develop valued services and ultimately add value to every engagement with supported individuals. 5.2 The Argyll and Bute CPP Management Committee is being asked to endorse the content of the ABEP Delivery Plan, 2022-25, as attached in Appendix 1, to
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Argyll and Bute Employability Partnership Delivery Plan, 2022-25: CPP Management Committee – 22nd June 2022 ensure suitable opportunities for individuals of all ages and capabilities based on tackling socio-economic disadvantage, inequalities and removing multiple barriers to securing sustainable employment. Inclusive growth lies at the heart of this Delivery Plan where partner activity will contribute to the Scottish Government’s No One Left Behind policy direction, with a focus in Argyll and Bute on ensuring ‘No Business Left Behind’ and ‘No Community Left Behind’. 6.0 Implications Strategic Implications As well as responding to the Scottish Government’s No One Left Behind policy direction, the ABEP Delivery Plan, 2022-25 aligns and contributes in the main to Outcome 3 in the Argyll and Bute Outcome Improvement Plan, 2013-23, as to what partners can offer to support individuals to participate in education, skills development and training. Strong partnership working with employers (public, private and third sector) is essential to provide opportunities for work experience to directly help individuals make informed choices on the training and employment options open to them and by doing so allow individuals to gain their first critical experience of the world of work. Employability issues and opportunities also contribute to the Argyll and Bute Council priority: ‘Argyll & Bute Council will be a mental health champion, promoting good health and helping people back into employment when necessary’ and the inclusive ‘skills for work’ focus outlined in the Council’s Economic Strategy. Furthermore, the ABEP Delivery Plan 2022-25 is distinct, but complements, the actions outlined in the Community Learning and Development (CLD) Partnership Action Plan. Consultations, Previous considerations The ABEP Delivery Plan, 2022-25, was developed and prepared incorporating actions derived, with consultancy support, from an initial Improvement Action Plan, 2021-22. Resources To deliver the suite of actions within the ABEP Delivery Plan will have resource and costs implications. Further representation on resources, given existing staff capacity, will be made to the Scottish Government through the Scottish Local Authorities Economic Development (SLAED) Employability/ People group. Prevention None Equalities All ABEP activities will comply with all Equal Opportunities/Fairer Scotland Duty policies and obligations. For more information, contact: Ishabel Bremner, Economic Growth Manager, Argyll and Bute Council / Chair of the ABEP Tel: 01546 604375 and e-mail: ishabel.bremner@argyll-bute.gov.uk
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Argyll and Bute Employability Partnership Delivery Plan, 2022-25: CPP Management Committee – 22nd June 2022 Appendix 1: Argyll and Bute Employability Partnership Delivery Plan, 2022-25 Draft ABEP Delivery Plan - 14 June 2022.docx