Skills: now and the future

A man sawing some wood

The review examined the possible skills deficit in the county focussing on ways to close the skills gap and ensure ease of access to employment.

Read the final report of the Skills: now and the future review [PDF 1.72MB]

Meetings:

14th July 2008

Members were given an opportunity at the final meeting of the select committee to consider any further information and to agree recommendations in the final report.

With Nottinghamshire County Council set to take over part of the Learning and Skills Council, members believe it is important to recognise the value of vocational training as well as academic achievements, encouraging schools and colleges to consult employers so that courses meet employment needs.

16 June 2008

Members received a presentation from Matt Lockley from Making the Connection - which connects local people to local jobs and supports people who are looking for work, by helping them to become 'job-ready' with relevent and up-to-date skills.

Tim Grant, Vice Principal of West Notts College, explained how the college are tailoring courses to employers' needs and to the abilities of students. The college also offers staff training for a number of local businesses.

And Vincenzo Raimo of the University of Nottingham detailed the commercial and cultural benefits for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire of the University's China campus.

Read the minutes of the 16th June meeting [PDF 22.1KB] .

12 May 2008

Members heard from Sue Workman, Personnel Manager at the Nottingham branch of the John Lewis Partnership, about the core skills that the company look for when recruiting staff - social skills of good attitude and initiative particularly among school leavers rather than technical skills which can more easily be taught. As a high profile company with an annual staff turnover of just 17%, John Lewis experiences fewer problems than some other businesses in attracting recruits with the necessary skills.

The CBI annual survey for 2008 shows that 53% of employers have difficulty in attracting recruits with the right skills for their business, often lacking even basic skills (the ability to read, write and do basic arithmetic). 40% reported the lack of basic skills as having a 'serious impact on customer service' with 34% complaining of lower productivity. 25% of employers are investing in remedial literacy and numeracy training.

Read the minutes of the 12th May meeting [PDF 33.6KB] .

14 April 2008

Members heard about the barriers to people trying to enter employment (including financial, child care and disability issues) from the Learning & Skills Council and Job Centre Plus. They also heard about the skills deficit and problems of recruitment from the employers angle, with presentations from the Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Small Businesses. Read the minutes of the 14th April meeting [PDF 25.2KB] .

17 March 2008

Members of the select committee received scene setting presentations from Richard Money, Research Team Manager and Geoff George, Manager, Economic Regeneration to agree the terms of reference of the scoping document. Read the minutes of the 17th March meeting [PDF 31.1KB]

Nine County Councillors made up the Skills select committee: