Hertfordshire Training & Development Consortium

1. Hertfordshire Training & Development Consortium Welcome to: EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS – MAKING IT WORK Wednesday 17th July 2013

2. Aims of Today • To share the experience/outcomes of recent employability skills improvement programmes • To demonstrate the benefits of partnership working and promote networking • To provide ideas for further improvement programmes for providers

3. LSIS – East of England Programmes Mark Barnsley Regional Development Manager

4. Employability Skills Improvement Programmes Tips & Tools Sarah Elliott Development Worker Hertfordshire Training & Development Consortium

5. Agenda • HTDC – Introduction • HESPIP • Hertfordshire Employability Skills Provider Improvement Programme • Empower • Regional programme with Learn EAST • Workshops for Children’s Centre Managers • Sustaining voluntary sector provision

6. HTDC - Introduction • Conceived Autumn 2007; Launched Autumn 2008 • Over 300 Full and Associate Member Organisations • 2 principal aims: • To bring together VCS Training Providers • To promote and facilitate VCS Workforce Development • Lead body - Hertfordshire Community Foundation

7. HESPIP • Funded by LSIS • Led by HAFLS • Hertfordshire Adult and Family Learning Service • Worked with 6 providers in Hertfordshire: • ASCEND • Dacorum Communities for Learning (DCFL) • Groundwork Hertfordshire • Herts Mind Network • Herts Trade Union Learning Centre • Safer Places

8. HESPIP – Programme Outline Self Assessment Provider Questionnaires Lesson Observations 1. Differentiation Workshops 2. Best Practice Sharing 3. Partnerships Action Planning Regional Dissemination

9. Best Practice Sharing • Based on end to end process from learner perspective • Developed a blank template in Excel • Master sheet and tabs for each provider • Participants’ laptops connected with facilitator’s • File shared across the “mini network” • Initial discussion of each section followed by completion by participants • Able to save, view and further discuss each response • Overall analysis available to share more widely • Enjoyed by participants: • “The technology used allowed for everyone to participate and share ideas”

10. Building Partnerships • Jobcentre Plus • Other Funded Training and Advice e.g. • SFA Support for the Unemployed ; www.tchc.net • National Careers Service ; • Self Employment/Business start-up – New Enterprise Allowance • Wenta (Herts and Beds) • Ixion (East Anglia and Essex); iain.lockhart@ixionholdings.com • Job and Enterprise Clubs • Work Experience • Volunteering – local Volunteer Centres • www.do-it.org.uk • Links with Employers

11. Empower Programme • Funded by LSIS • Led by the Learning Partnership Bedfordshire and Luton • Programme of Capacity-Building workshops • Delivered via Learn EAST • HTDC delivered Building Partnerships session

12. Employability “Checkerboard” Pre-/ Planning Core Delivery Follow-on activities Monitoring

13. Employability Programmes –The Process • End to end • Client not provision focussed • Sequence and timing may vary by client group/provider • Recognises that it’s fine not to do everything yourself

14. Key Steps in Process

15. How do you approach each step? • On your own – your facilities, staff/tutors • In partnership – working collaboratively with other organisations • Use external providers – bring them into your premises or refer clients out • Or is there currently a gap? – you haven’t yet identified how to tackle

16. Workshops for Children’s Centre Managers “Working Together Better – To Help Parents into Employment”

17. HTDC and HCC Childhood Support Services • Commissioning small projects designed to reduce Child Poverty in Hertfordshire • HTDC involved in a range of initiatives around developing Employability Skills provision • Welfare Reform changes mean more lone parents need to seek employment • Unable to claim income support once child is 5 • Identified the potential to develop the capacity of Children’s Centres to support parents into work

18. The Workshops:WORKING TOGETHER BETTERto help parents into employment • Choice of 2 dates and venues in Watford and Stevenage • For Children’s Centre Managers, Family Support Workers, Providers of Careers Advice, Employability Skills and Housing • The workshops aim to help Children’s Centres to: • Improve understanding of current Welfare to Work programmes • Identify the role of Children’s Centres • Develop links with providers of employability skills and housing • Establish best practice in engaging/supporting unemployed parents

19. Key messages • Children’s Centres are well placed, but you can’t do it on your own • Partnerships are key to developing provision: • Bring in expertise • Utilise existing funded programmes • Partner with each other in local areas • Communicate to share best practice/learning • Via findings from table discussions - developed Top Tips for Engaging with Parents

20. Sustaining Voluntary Sector Provision • Sources of funding – a continuing challenge • ESF Community Grants • Adult & Community Learning • Other/various • Future ESF Programmes 2014-2020 • Need to engage with your Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) • DWP Work Programme • A missed opportunity to help the long term unemployed • Limited VCS participation

21. Key areas for development • Accreditation of training • Links with employers • Tracking outcomes • In work support

22. Sarah ElliottDevelopment WorkerHertfordshire Training & Development Consortium01707 251351sarah.elliott@hertscf.org.ukwww.htdc.org.uk HTDC is a project led by Hertfordshire Community Foundation, registered charity number 299438.