Meeting the Skills Challenge: A Scrutiny Review into the Effectiveness of East Midlands Development Agency and the Regional Employment, Skills and Productivity Partnership in Addressing the Regional Skills Development Objectives of the Regional Economic Strategy (2.7mb pdf) - March 2007

Panel members were invited due to their experience and expertise in relation to skills and employment issues within the region. The Panel consisted of:

• Gordon Lammie (Chair) – Regional Director, Open University.
• Tim Roache - Senior Organiser, GMB Union (Regional Scrutiny Board Member).
• Robert Watson – Chief Executive, Engineering Employers Federation (East Midlands and Mid-Anglia).
• John White – Regional Chairman of the Institute of Directors (East Midlands) and Chairman of Clegg Group (EMRA Member).
• Richard Williams – Assistant Director of Regeneration, Derby City Council.

The review made six recommendations to support improvements, they are;

In order to maintain long-term strategic focus together with appropriate flexibility and to ensure that the esp action plan is translated into effective delivery by regional, sub-regional and local partners, emda and the esp are invited to:

a) prioritise esp activity for the provision of skills for individuals and business that most effectively achieve the productivity, sustainability and equality aims of the RES using a clearly communicated intervention framework.

b) specify how the emerging RES Implementation Plan relates to the newly reviewed esp Action Plan and communicate this to partners.

c) develop a strategic response to the region’s changing demography and increasing levels of migrant labour.

d) ensure that the strategic objectives of the esp Action Plan are translated appropriately into the plans and strategies of LAAs, SSPs and LSC Area Action Plans.

Recommendation Two

emda’s Corporate Approach to the esp and Skills

In order to ensure that emda is effectively delivering their responsibilities in the esp Action Plan, emda is invited to:

a) Develop and communicate a shared understanding of the role of SSPs and LSPs (through LAAs) as delivery partners for the esp Action Plan.

b) Continue to ensure that customer focus and effective links to business brokerage are maintained.

c) Ensure that delivery of the esp Action Plan is embedded in all relevant directorates and teams and that esp and wider partners know the relevant contacts within emda's staff structure.

d) Retain a very senior level engagement within the esp governance structure, ensuring that the decision of emda’s Chief Executive to step down as Chair of the esp is not perceived by partners as a diminution in emda’s corporate commitment.

e) Define within the esp action plan the specific role emda plays in regional skills development and how emda will maximise their effectiveness in this role.

Recommendation Three

Strengthening Partnership Working

In order to strengthen the esp Partnership and include the organisations that are or are likely to become key to delivering on the employment, skills and productivity agenda, emda and the esp are invited to;

a) Engage with Universities – securing a university representative on to the esp Executive as a first step – but actively engaging with universities, through EMUA, beyond that.

b) Engage with Local Authorities, initially through a senior representative of the local authorities on the esp Executive, but actively engaging with local authorities, through LGEM, thereafter.

c) Appoint a Private Sector chair, to improve engage with, and to build the confidence of, the region’s business sector.

Recommendation Four

Customer Focus

In order to ensure better customer focus, the esp is invited to agree a plan to secure an enhanced direct input of the business community and better information about business demand into the strategic and operational planning of the esp and its sub-regional skills delivery structures. Key actions include:

a) Using data arising from the Regional Business Support Intelligence System and the East Midlands Skills Information Partnership to drive service development and improvement.

b) Developing a plan to secure direct employer participation on relevant esp groups to:

• directly report employer need and demand
• help interpret the information and intelligence arising from other sources
• support enhanced alignment between the esp and Sector Skills Councils in the region.

c) Clarifying its mechanisms for sub-regional employer engagement and supplier co-ordination. Engaging more actively with Sub-Regional Partnerships and recognising the need for sub-regional diversity around delivery strategies.

d) Consider mechanisms to better monitor and understand the requirements of adult learners.

Recommendation Five

Strengthening the Future Governance of Regional Skills Development

In order to maintain stability in delivery whilst maximizing opportunities from new developments, emda are encouraged to seek consensus within esp (preferably with the appropriately enhanced membership advocated in recommendation 3) on an approach to address future governance issues, including;

a) The government’s formal response to and implementation of the Leitch Review,

b) Managing the implications of the reduction of ESF funding in the region,

c) Recognising the enhanced role in the skills agenda for Sector Skills Councils and engaging more fully with them,

d) Its future relationship with the LSC Regional Council, and;

e) Continuing to make the case, through regional partnerships and emda’s own access to Ministers, for stability of organisational structures and enhanced freedoms and flexibilities for regional skills development. This should be in line with the agreed regional response to CSR 2007.

Recommendation Six

Demonstrating Value,Monitoring Impact and Communicating Effectively

In order to ensure that the impacts and added value of its work can be better understood by customers and government, the esp and emda are invited to develop a Communications Strategy to;

a) Communicate the unique added-value of its partnership working to government,business representative organisations and other partners such as local authorities and EMRA. esp should consider the role of its wider Stakeholder Forum as a means of communicating its added-value.

b) Stimulate the interest of employers to engage strategically with esp and inform its work.

c) Raise the awareness of employers and employees regarding access to training and support for skills development.

The Regional Scrutiny Board considered a collective emda and esp Action Plan (90KB PDF) to implement the recommendations of ‘Meeting the Skills Challenge’ in April 2007. emda and esp shared a Progress Report (80KB PDF)with the Regional Scrutiny Board in October 2007. The Regional Scrutiny Board considered the Final Assessment Report (172KB PDF) in March 2008.