New Anglia Skills Advisory Panel Meeting

16th September 2022

Via Microsoft Teams

MINUTES OF MEETING

In attendance:

Annette Nott, DfE (AN)

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)

David Ladbrook, New Anglia LEP (DL)

David Pomfret, College of West Anglia

(DP)

Gurpreet Jagpal, University of Suffolk (GJ)

Jan Feeney, Norfolk County Council (JF)

Jason Parnell, Steadfast Training (JP)

Jerry White, City College Norwich (JW)

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 Rimmer, East Coast College (SR)

Tom Humphries, Norfolk County Council

(TH)

Viv Gillespie, Suffolk New College (VG)

Yvonne Mason, The Mason Trust (YM)

Visitors:

Colin Shaw, West Suffolk College (CS)

Ed Shorthouse, New Anglia LEP (ES)

Jennifer Clarke, Norfolk County Council

(JC)

Mary Scales, DWP (MS)

Simon Papworth, New Anglia LEP (SP)

Tom Lloyd, West Suffolk College (TL)

Apologies:

Adrian Orr, Suffolk County Council (AO)

Chris Gribble, Writers’ Centre Norwich

(CG)

Cllr Graham Plant, Norfolk County Council

(SC)

Cllr Rachel Hood, Suffolk County Council

(RH)

David Gartland, Abbeygate 6th Form (DG)

Guy Hazlehurst, EDF (GH)

Helen Langton (Professor), University of

Suffolk (HL)

Julia Nix, DWP (JN)

Karin Porter, Norfolk County Council (KP)

Nikos Savvas, West Suffolk College (NS)

Stuart Smith, People with Energy (SS)

Tom Brown, Green Light Trust (TB)

Tracey Cox, ESFA (TC)

Vince Muspratt, Norfolk County Council

(VP)

Item 1: Welcome and Minutes

CC welcomed everyone to the meeting. She expressed her sadness of the passing of Queen

Elizabeth II and noted her dedication and commitment to the country and wider

Commonwealth. She also wished strength and courage on King Charles III for his reign.

CC also set the scene for the meeting noting the importance of coming together to look at

Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP). The SAP has a powerful role in supporting and steering

the work of the Chambers of Commerce. CC also noted the key components of the SAP’s

work - to coordinate, steer, challenge, lobby, inform, engage, promote and mobilise. This

moment in time reinforces this requirement The LSIP timeline is tight but this has been set

out by DfE, so we must keep to it. It is also important for our area that we look beyond the

minimum requirement of the DfE requirements in order to take our regional skills agenda

further forward.

The actions from the last meeting around Skills Bootcamps and apprenticeships had been

successfully completed. There had been no responses to NW about the Champion groups, so

CC asked members to use their time to support the Chambers with the LSIP business

engagement work as a priority although they are very welcome to continue meeting.

The minutes were approved.

Item 2: Local Skills Improvement Plans

NF gave an update of the LSIP process. Guidance had been given through documents and a

face-to-face meeting with the DfE. Further information needs to be submitted by the

chambers by early October.

NF is keen to enhance what is already taking place and not start from scratch. At this point,

they are considering focusing on:

- Agri-tech & food processing

- Climate adaptations/net zero

- Digital skills for the workplace

- Soft skills

She explained that a wider coverage will be too challenging in the timescales as they will only

have 3 months to engage with employers. In March 2023, they will then report their findings

to the educational providers who deliver locally followed by a full report by the end of May

2023.

NF commented that we already collectively know where the gaps are from previous activity.

Governance will include a small and agile board including the key education providers and

the local authorities. It will make quick decisions. Task and finish groups will sit below. The

SAP will steer its initial direction and input from members is valued.

Quality engagement with employers is needed through digital and analogue interactions.

They need to identify businesses that are not normally engaged with. Specific skills advisers

will be recruited to support this and skills translators to convert the business needs to

identified training. A Project Manager will oversee the activity.

Once a plan has been developed, they need to keep updating it.

Comments from SAP members included:

- Concerns that non-chamber members will not engage as they perceive it to just be

for members.

- Skills initiative fatigue and we are in a period of near full employment.

- County deals may create a separate Norfolk and Suffolk focus so this may impact the

LSIP.

- The rationale for the sectors/cross cutting themes. Green skills is also difficult to

define.

- The LEP and other organisations already promote a lot of regional skills work so

shouldn’t be repetition.

- The business engagement questions can be distributed to SAP members networks.

- What data gaps have been determined by the Chambers?

- Soft skills are a very broad area, it is difficult to measure progress and the term

devalues their importance. Examples of previous/current initiatives to develop soft

skills should be reviewed.

- Staff within the education providers may be designated time to support the process

(e.g. UoS).

- New provision may not be needed as it may be more about employer awareness.

- Tutor shortages may be a barrier to progress. Employers should be released from

businesses to deliver training.

- Need to look at the now and the future.

- Concern over what might be lost in ‘translation’.

- Don’t be afraid of identifying gaps.

- Regulated or non-regulated training is often what employers mean by soft skills so it

may be that the regulated training is what doesn’t meet the needs of employers.

- Not enough employers get involved with curriculum development so when new

qualifications get rolled out then it doesn’t suit everyone.

- With the data, we need to recognise the differences in the geography of areas of

Norfolk and Suffolk and develop interventions accordingly.

- A minimum of 2% engagement of businesses is needed across the two counties,

mirroring the sector and business make up.

- Some major businesses are not domiciled in Norfolk and Suffolk but employ lots of

staff.

Reassurances made by the chambers included:

- Chambers have a history of rolling out successful skills and training initiatives

including ETIP and kickstart.

- Working closely with the LEP, NCC and SCC. Their Skills Hub work will support the LSIP

development. County Deals are moving ahead so the plan will easily be split if

necessary.

- Will link with other membership bodies.

- There needs to be alignment with neighbouring areas anyway, so a split won’t cause

major challenges.

- The sector choice needs to be of a size that it is achievable in the timescales. DfE

don’t want a ‘broad brush’ approach.

- Data gaps not fully determined as yet but working with the LEP. Colleges may have

some additional data that they may be willing to share.

- Happy to review ‘soft skills’ and try to define them further.

- Understands the challenges around tutor shortages and can feed this back to DfE.

- Funding is restrictive around the activity that can be paid for.

- The SAP will be consulted further.

- The engagement window is really small and although micros represent a reasonable

proportion of the business make up, businesses with 1-5 employees are likely to be a

significant focus.

- There is currently no guidance on the DfE definition of new employers, but the

Chambers will be looking for businesses who have not typically engaged with the

skills agenda.

Item 3: County Deals and UK Shared Prosperity Fund

MG drew members attention to the Skills Hub email that had been sent. He noted that the

alignment of the LEP, NCC and SCC in a more formal capacity would ensure better alignment

of resources at this period of change. It would mean all parties are working from one

workplan with shared ownership.

ACTION: NW to send out sector leads to members.

County Deals are currently being negotiated with government and it is unclear if new

leadership is going to impact the outcome and timescales. Skills is a focus and it is hoped

that there will be a chance to have more power locally. Conversations with government

departments have not been in as much depth as expected. The adult education budget is

going to be a major area.

JF commented that Norfolk are in a similar position. They are on a journey with lots of

discussions taking place in areas such as apprenticeships.

MG stated that with the UKSPF, there needs to be alignment with funding streams in order

to make them effective. They are a replacement to ESF but with significantly less funding.

Suffolk has aligned across their districts with the skills and people element although there

may still be a place-based approach. The VCSE skills work could be continued pre-2024/25 if

currently operating under ESF.

JF informed members that the boroughs and districts in Norfolk have submitted their plans.

NCC are talking to districts, but they don’t have the same skills agreement as in Suffolk.

Item 4: Skills Bootcamps

Due to the LSIP agenda item over-running, there was no time for this update.

ACTION: NW to issue presentation to members.

Item 5: AOB and Next Meeting

RB commented that we have a strong local coverage of MPs in the cabinet and obviously the

PM. Hopefully this will be a positive for our region.

CC thanked everyone again for re-arranging their diaries for this meeting.

Next meeting – November 17th from 10am.