New Anglia Skills Advisory Panel Meeting

14th July 2022

Via Microsoft Teams

MINUTES OF MEETING

In attendance:

Adrian Orr, Suffolk County Council (AO)

Catherine Richards, East Norfolk 6th Form

(CR)

Christine Futter, Norfolk and Suffolk Care

Support (CF)

Claire Cullens, New Anglia LEP Board and

SAP Chair (CC)

Clarke Willis, Swallow Barns (CW)

Cllr Graham Plant, Norfolk County Council

(SC)

Cllr Rachel Hood, Suffolk County Council

(RH)

Corrienne Peasgood, City College Norwich

(CP)

David Ladbrook, New Anglia LEP (DL)

Dayle Bayliss, Dayle Bayliss Associates

(DB)

Glen Todd, New Anglia LEP (GT)

Gurpreet Jagpal, University of Suffolk (GJ)

Jan Feeney, Norfolk County Council (JF)

Jason Parnell, Steadfast Training (JP)

Julia Nix, DWP (JN)

Karin Porter, Norfolk County Council (KP)

Michael Gray, Suffolk County Council (MG)

Natasha Waller, New Anglia LEP (NW)

Nova Fairbank, Norfolk Chamber of

Commerce (NF)

Paul Simon, Suffolk Chamber of

Commerce (PS)

Richard Bridgman, Warren Services (RB)

Stuart Smith, People with Energy (SS)

Viv Gillespie, Suffolk New College (VG)

Visitors:

Denise Saadvandi, Norfolk Adult Learning

(DS)

Ed Shorthouse, New Anglia LEP (ES)

Lyndsey Hessey, Suffolk County Council

(LH)

Tom Lloyd, West Suffolk College (TL)

Apologies:

Chris Gribble, Writers’ Centre Norwich

(CG)

David Gartland, Abbeygate 6th Form (DG)

David Pomfret, College of West Anglia

(DP)

Helen Langton (Professor), University of

Suffolk (HL)

Guy Hazlehurst, EDF (GH)

Karen Gibson, Norfolk County Council (KG)

Lucy Walker, ESFA (LW)

Nikos Savvas, West Suffolk College (NS)

Seb Gasse, NCC (SG)

Stuart Rimmer, East Coast College (SR)

Tom Brown, Green Light Trust (TB)

Tom Humphries, Norfolk County Council

(TH)

Tracey Cox, ESFA (TC)

Vince Muspratt, Norfolk County Council

(VP)

Yvonne Mason, The Mason Trust (YM)

Item 1: Welcome and Minutes

CC welcomed everyone to the meeting and thanked CP for chairing the previous one. Cllr

Graham Plant, Deputy Leader of Norfolk County Council was welcomed to his first meeting.

There were no outstanding actions from the last meeting and the minutes were approved.

Item 2: Update from the LEP Board

CC explained that she had updated the LEP Board on the progress of SAP. This included

providing a context of the environment that we are operating in, the Skills White Paper

implications, the changing focus and our achievements as a team. She had also stressed the

issues with government funding timescales, county deals and the general future of the LEP.

CC had asked them to continue supporting the work of the SAP moving forward but striking a

balance of bringing partners together for our future vision. Not reinventing the wheel is

important when skills are so important.

LEP Board members recognised the impact of collaboration but also were keen to stress the

pre-16 agenda should not be a major focus for SAP. They also wanted to build on the

regional skills perspective.

CP commented that there is a read across to the Industry Councils so there is a flow of

information. The LEP Board are supportive of this approach.

Item 3: Reflections

CC reflected that there are a number of members retiring or moving from their positions

which will leave an enormous legacy. They have also been great colleagues.

Glen Todd joined the LEP in January 2019 at a time when the Enterprise Adviser Network

team had just been TUPEd into the LEP from the county councils. He quickly developed a

cohesive team with clear processes and systems to follow plus targets to deliver. The team

grew through this period of change and Glen has been able to bring out the best in all the

members through his clear direction and nurturing nature.

The programme’s record keeping improved overnight and he always has a clear

understanding of the challenges that the team are facing. He looks for strategies to address

these while at the same time being realistic.

Glen also took the Careers Hub from an initial start of 32 schools through to the 131 that it is

today – ground breaking in the eyes of the CEC! He has supported the Opportunity Areas in

Norwich and Ipswich.

We all wish him well with his training to be a primary school teacher. We will miss him

terribly but so glad we are not losing him from the world of education.

Glen is being replaced by David Ladbrook who has been working with the Opportunity Areas.

Corrienne is retiring at the end of this month leaving a big legacy in the world of education.

She has been instrumental in the Skills Board and now the Skills Advisory Panel. Key recent

areas of work have included the membership of the LEP Board, the AgriFood Industry

Council, chairing the New Anglia Colleges Group, the ESF programme supporting curriculum

development and the roll out of T levels. Corrienne has flown the flag of the sector skills

plans and cross cutting report. Most notably this led to the successful funding bid for the

Digi-tech Factory. She also empowered her team to support the organisation of the Norfolk

Skills and Careers Festivals – the major go-to event for young people in our county.

Corrienne has grown the college with the mergers with Paston and Easton taking the college

to one of the largest in the country. Delivering change and shaping culture is never easy in a

large organisation but her leadership style and true commitment to the college has

continually made this happen.

In 2019, she gained an OBE for services to safeguarding and construction – something that

the SAP members were really delighted about.

We know that she is going to remain chairing the AgriFood Industry Council but we hope to

still see her playing a part in our skills and education world after a well deserved summer

break.

Corrienne will be replaced by Jerry White.

Karen Gibson has worked for Norfolk County Council for over 20 years and much of her early

time was spent in developing European Programmes in a number of roles. This included

representing the UK as part of the Two Seas programme monitoring committee and being

influential in securing Managing Authority status for NCC on the France-Channel-England

Interreg programme. Karen has worked tirelessly across NCC to support teams in developing

bids for a range of external funding streams including more recently supporting Childrens

Services to secure the first Social investment Bond for NCC. In 2019 she become Economic

Programmes and Skills Manager bringing her talents to supporting and developing the

employment and skills arena, a crucially important area of work as the economy rebuilds.

Her contribution has been immense and we will all miss her hugely.

CP reflected on the work of Lucy Walker. Lucy has supported the colleges in a number of

different roles throughout her career. She has always assisted them with funding queries and

made strong representation for education in the east, ironing out issues and finding

solutions to challenges. Her skills and knowledge will be sadly missed.

Item 4: Local Skills Improvement Plans

NF and PS gave an update of LSIPs. There has been little movement since the May meeting

although there is constant communication with DfE via the British Chamber of Commerce.

They have been informed that EOIs are being assessed. The Chambers have started engaging

with stakeholders to gain their views. They only have a broad view of the requirements of

LSIP at this stage. Hope to build on quality moving forward. The report will also need to be

written in a way hat it can be split if County Deals take place.

CP noted that other parts of the country are saying that LSIPs are stopping things from

happening. We need to look at where the gaps are so that we can do more.

Item 5: Strategic Development Fund

CP gave an update. The New Anglia Colleges Group did hope to have a signed agreement in

place by this stage but there is an agreement in principle. They can spend up to 15% until

this is signed. The bid centred around Green Skills with £1.25m on revenue and £1.5m on

capital across the 5 colleges. This needs to be spent by March 2023.

Focus will be on:

- Current curriculum ensuring sustainability is across the breadth of provision.

- Reviewing the need for staff training and/or time spent back in industry

- Identifying where there are upgrades needed within the curriculum. Likely to be a

need for more short industry courses.

- Running a conference to review requirements

- Investment in capital resources, e.g. chargeable engineering/motor

mechanics/agriculture/horticulture equipment, waste recycling (biomass, wood

chipping, etc), renewable heating systems, IT equipment, 3D imaging, VR and more

general equipment that is more energy efficient.

CW commented on the work the Forestry Commission is doing locally with taking on more

apprentices and the need for Chartered Environmentalists.

Discussion was had around how much we can deliver the new technologies as industry are

often doing this directly so we will have to develop more joint/dual technologists.

VG commented that she has sent staff to Germany for EV training. Also there is limited

qualifications/modules available at present. Question around whether LSIPs could lead to

more funding around this work.

Item 6: Skills Bootcamps

NW gave an update on Skills Bootcamps.

New Anglia LEP, in conjunction with Norfolk and Suffolk County Councils, have been

successful in gaining £1m funding to deliver Skills Bootcamps – part of the Government’s

Lifetime Skills Guarantee. They are a means of delivering short, intensive training courses to

give people:

– initial skills to enter a new sector from another one or a period of unemployment

– enhanced skills to progress within an existing workplace

– boosted knowledge to take on new contracts in the case of self-employed people.

We published a tender to procure education providers for a procurement framework in

order to deliver these courses. We had 14 submissions and are about to interview. Contracts

will then be issued shortly afterwards. Training is likely to take place in digital, construction,

green skills and logistics for 240 individuals. Over the coming month we will change our

communications plan to engage employers and course participants. We also have a Skills

Broker starting on August 1st to support the activities.

JN stated that she is happy for all her job centres to advocate Skills Bootcamps. They will

potentially be ideal for the ‘Universal Credit light touch’ group who are job ready but may

just need some additional skills. There is currently a growing number of these. Normally they

are undertaking some work.

ACTION: Members to advocate Skills Bootcamps, support the social media campaign and

pass employer/potential learners onto NW.

ACTION: NW to investigate residency requirements and inform CF.

Item 7: Multiply

DS and LH gave an overview of the programme to support adult numeracy skills. Norfolk

have been allocated £4.7m and Suffolk £3.75m. An investment plan has been submitted by

each county council and they should hear in the autumn. They are able to deliver at risk –

Norfolk is intending too and Suffolk has started already.

MG commented that the UKSPF is not as large as the ESF so they are needing to stretch it

out as wide as possible to maximise the value.

VG commented on the start difference in engagement levels with the FE colleges in the two

counties.

Item 8: AOB and next meeting

RM enquired if anyone knew anything about the de minimus situation with apprenticeships

as it has arisen with apprenticeships and SPARC.

ACTION: MG & JF to investigate with their apprenticeship teams.

CC canvased opinions on an in person or virtual meeting in September. The majority of

members asked for virtual due to other commitments.

CC also asked for opinions of the Champion groups as there had been a lot of membership

changes and progress made but it was now stalling so may need to review them.

ACTION: Members to send views to NW.

CC thank everyone who had given updates and wished everyone a good restful summer.

Next meeting: September 15th from 10am.