Leicestershire County Council Approach To Worklessness
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Leicestershire County Council is addressing worklessness with a focus on improving residents' quality of life, workforce skills, and economic stability, given the high number of benefit claimants. The Leicestershire Work and Skills Board is coordinating initiatives and projects, like the Marks and Spencer e-commerce center and various apprenticeship programs, to enhance local employment opportunities. Plans are underway to develop a comprehensive hub for training and employment information, streamlining access to resources for job seekers and businesses.
Leicestershire County Council Approach To Worklessness
- 1. Leicestershire County Council Approach To Worklessness Heather Bell Policy & Partnerships Manager
- 2. LCC Economic Growth Priorities complement and support the LLEP’s Economic Growth Plan: • Worklessness • Employment Land & Buildings • Sector Priorities e.g. Distribution & Logistics • Capital Availability • Enterprise Growth
- 3. Why worklessness: • Improving quality of people’s lives • One in 10 people in the County claiming benefits and one in 5 in the City, highest proportion on ESA and incapacity benefits. • Ensuring that Leicestershire has a suitably skilled workforce • A 20% increase in worklessness would cost an additional £13 million a year • Our 3,300 troubled families and families with complex needs cost us £158 million per annum • Introduction of Universal Credit.
- 4. Worklessness "people of working age who are not in formal employment, but who are looking for a job (the unemployed), together with people of working age who are neither formally employed nor looking for formal employment (the economically inactive)". (Source: the Department of Work and Pensions)
- 5. Leicestershire Work and Skills Board • Membership includes the Skills Funding Agency, BIS, District council representative, Voluntary sector; College representative, Work programme providers, Job centre plus, Groundwork et al. • Aim to better co-ordinate what is already happening to provide a better service and reduce costs. • Will link into the LLEP Employment and Skills Group.
- 6. Projects Currently Underway: • Employer Hub model • Construction Based Initiative • Local employment clauses in Procurement contracts • Supporting Leicestershire Families • Opportunities through Green Deal for local employment • Local initiatives
- 7. Local Initiative: Marks and Spencer E-Commerce Centre Castle Donington
- 8. Example of current work: • Marks and Spencer E-Commerce Distribution Centre • Looking to assist in the linking of transport to people to employment. • Local Sustainable Transport Fund with the People 2 Places and Wheels to Work schemes. • Ensuring that Leicestershire people are aware of the opportunities offered in the development particularly those `furthest from the job market’. • Working with lead agencies - Derby JCP and Remploy
- 9. LCC Apprentices • Currently there are 60 apprentices directly employed by LCC in a variety of roles – particularly in Business & Administration and Customer Service. Looking to increase this number in future. • Also around 190 apprentices have been placed in Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the County through the Adult Learning Service
- 10. Construction Opportunities • Through the Work & Skills Board agree to co-ordinate major planning applications of developments which could provide opportunities for employment and apprenticeships. • Opportunities may exist through Section 106 Planning remit to collect funding for a central construction employment hub. A pilot is currently being worked on at Glenfield Park in Blaby District and the Crescent Retail scheme in Hinckley. • From this a County-wide scheme will be developed. • Coordinated approach with Leicestershire colleges, developers; Job Centre Plus; other Public and voluntary sector organisations.
- 11. Developing the Leicestershire Offer • Develop a Leicestershire hub, similar to Cornwall Works. • This covers all training and employment information for the client and also brings together associated areas such as Debt Advice. • Providers and businesses can also gather information at this “One-stop shop” • Exploring the development of an online directory for all users.
Editor's Notes
- #2: Thank you for giving me the opportunity to meet you all today. I have been involved in Economic Development for many years and I have also been made redundant. I feel that by going through this terrible experience I can understand the situation that many people currently find themselves in. There are also many who have never worked and what we wish to offer are opportunities to pursue.
- #3: The County Council works closely with the LLEP and our economic growth priorities complement and support the LLEPs Economic Growth Plan:
- #4: Why are the County Council concerned about worklessness? As you will hear from Caroline – relative to other parts of tyeh Country and Leicester City worklessness is not as high but even so – it is important:
- #5: What is worklessness – many definitions
- #6: The County Council has set up its own Work and Skills Board to ensure that internal departments and partners communicate; co-ordinate and ensure that gaps are filled et al.
- #8: I will now speak about a few of the projects: Some amazing facts on this centre: Building holds 2,392 billion percy pigs! Or 3,507 London double decker buses OR over 150,000 different products with 200 packing stations. Eventually it will process 120,000 online orders and 1,500 store orders per day.
- #9: Some amazing facts on this centre: Building holds 2,392 billion percy pigs! Or 3,507 London double decker buses OR over 150,000 different products with 200 packing stations. Eventually it will process 120,000 online orders and 1,500 store orders per day.
- #12: This is a small snapshot of a few areas which the County Council are looking to work with Partners on. Communication and co-ordination are key. Thank you.