Employment Archives - Page 2 of 8 - North East Local Enterprise Partnership

When a college and local business share a common goal, they can build a special working relationship that achieves exceptional results. The close partnership between AkzoNobel and Northumberland College has developed a whole-college approach to high quality careers guidance and a successful pathway into local employment.

A global manufacturer of paints and coatings, AkzoNobel opened a new factory in Ashington five years ago. Despite its international profile, the company recognised its responsibility to tackle the local challenge of long-term high unemployment in rural Northumberland. It identified a strategic objective to enhance careers education and ensure a future local workforce.

The North East LEP played a key role in establishing and cultivating the partnership between AkzoNobel and Northumberland College. Enterprise Co-ordinator Lucy Johnson laid the groundwork with an understanding of the needs and ambitions of both organisations. This ensured a positive and sustained match. The LEP facilitated discussions, fostering a mutual understanding of each other’s agendas, terminology and organisational structures. All sides recognised the immense benefits of a whole-college approach, with the full support of Vice Principal Vikkie Morton and with AkzoNobel joining the board of governors.

This unique partnership gave Director of Student Services Ruth Magnus and AkzoNobel Enterprise Adviser Alex Wardle the autonomy and scope to deliver an ambitious strategic careers plan. Ruth introduced Alex to the college’s relevant curriculum departments and student communities. A whole-college approach, says Ruth, provides learners with the best guidance and employer encounters, “from their first course of study through to their next steps into employment, apprenticeships or higher education.”

Working closely with Curriculum Director Robert Stewart, they identified areas where AkzoNobel could make positive interventions. For example, AkzoNobel used its industry knowledge, technical expertise and focus on lean techniques to introduce practical problem solving methodologies and theories on personality types into pastoral lessons.

Alex is an enthusiastic and engaged Enterprise Adviser who has devoted time to thoroughly understand how the college works. This dedication has given AkzoNobel insight into how they can best add value in preparing students for the world of work. “The right frame of mind is key”, says Alex. Students need to be encouraged to start thinking early about their career progression and to understand the behaviours and attributes employers are looking for.

The college is piloting a Reward and Recognition Scheme to emphasise employability skills. Over the year, AkzoNobel will run three masterclasses for Engineering and Construction students. The college will award students with a certificate based on their attendance and progression, as well as volunteering in the community. This certificate will be recognised by AkzoNobel and guarantee them an interview, demonstrating their readiness for the world of work.

Alex expects this scheme to expand into other curriculum areas, and Ruth would like to see it replicated across the Education Partnership North East, building similar relationships between Sunderland College and Hartlepool Sixth Form and local employers.

AkzoNobel also supports the college with workshops, one-to-one sessions and mock interviews, as well as site visits and work experience placements. Last month, Northumberland College held a successful career fair for National Careers Week, where students learned more about opportunities with AkzoNobel and other local employers.

Alex is a driving force in the expanding and deepening cooperation between the college and local business. She has been instrumental in bringing more employers and colleges together through her work with the Enterprise Adviser Network. By working collaboratively across colleges, this group of advisers has been able to share and promote best practice.

AkzoNobel now has former college students working at its Ashington site and sees more leavers applying. The partnership also contributes to job satisfaction and wellbeing at AkzoNobel. “Going into college and delivering a masterclass is not part of the normal job,” explains Alex, but it has led to greater engagement in the team. For example, when a new operator came for an interview, he remembered the site manager from a college visit. “It’s lovely for the employees to know they can have an impact, even if it is a couple of years down the line.”

Ruth reports significant improvement in soft skills at the college, including attendance. In addition, students have a more positive attitude on campus and are more engaged with their studies. This strong performance has followed through into work experience, with fewer placements breaking down due to attendance or attitude. Employer feedback also shows greater satisfaction with students.

“Education feeds industry”, says Alex, and “it’s absolutely the right thing for business to support the college and in the past, we have let that relationship drift apart.” Ruth agrees: “Our courses need scrutiny from business to keep them relevant and up-to-date.” This engagement is essential to ensure students have the values and skills for a successful career. “It is necessary,” says Alex, “if businesses want to be sustainable, with a future ready workforce. It is the only answer.”

Find our more about the North East LEP’s Enterprise Adviser Network, and how your business can support careers education in the region.

Today’s statistics cover the North East region, which includes the North East LEP area and Tees Valley Combined Authority area. The headline rates cover the period October to December 2021.

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership’s Chief Executive, Helen Golightly OBE, has commented on today’s regional labour market statistics, released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

“Today’s statistics give us a post furlough picture for the first time. They show that there wasn’t significant disruption at the end of the furlough scheme, but the North East continues to struggle, particularly because of rising levels of economic inactivity where people have left the labour market and are no longer looking for work.

“We have seen a decrease in unemployment, which would usually be good news as it means that there are fewer people looking for work, but in the last year, instead of moving into employment, people looking for work have moved into the economically inactive category.

“The latest data does not show the reasons for increased inactivity, but it does highlight a particularly large decrease in employment among North East women in the last year, which is concerning.

“The number of people claiming unemployment related benefits in the North East LEP area shows a monthly rise that is 6,000 higher than at the start of the pandemic. It’s the first time we have seen a rise since February 2021.

“We should also be concerned as this data reflects the trajectory in other recent data. The latest regional export data for Q3 2021 saw the value of North East exports decline for the third consecutive quarter. North East exports are now 7% lower than they were two years ago.

“We urge government to strongly focus its levelling up agenda on the needs of the North East. It is clear that whilst many other regions are moving ahead as they recover from COVID-19, the North East continues to face labour market challenges.

“We believe levelling up the economy is the right thing to do, but the time is now to invest in the places that need it the most.”

Lucy Winskell OBE, Chair of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), responds to the Levelling Up announcement issued by government today, Wednesday 2 February 2022.

We welcome the publication of the Levelling Up White Paper and government’s commitment to reducing the economic and social disparities across the UK. The North East currently has the highest unemployment rate in England, yet has huge opportunities through its assets, businesses, and people to change that. With the right level of investment and partnership working with government, we can make a difference to the economic and social wealth of the region.

We were also pleased to see further commitment to devolution. We are clear that local decision-making, targeting investment resources to local priorities, will make a difference and we will continue to work alongside our political partners in the region to secure the optimum devolution position for the North East.

Other highlights for me are the confirmation that future decisions on how the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will be invested will be made within the region, a focus on helping people to improve their skills and a commitment to invest in our transport systems. We look forward to continuing to work with all of our partners to not only level up the North East with the rest of the UK regions, but surpass them.

Ends.

“Today’s statistics cover the North East region, which includes the North East LEP area and Tees Valley Combined Authority area, and covers the period September – November 2021.

“Today’s statistics make for difficult reading. The North East region’s latest employment rate was at 70.5%, which is by far the lowest in England. We’ve seen consistently over the previous three quarters that the number of people in work has fallen and that the number of people who have left the labour market and are categorised as economically inactive has increased. Significantly, the unemployment rate – this is people who don’t have a job, but are actively looking for work – has increased to a level that exceeds London, something we’ve not seen since September 2020.

“We are doing further analysis of these figures to understand the detail behind these changes, but it is clear that whilst other regions are moving ahead as they recover from COVID-19, the North East continues to face labour market challenges.

“We are expecting the Government’s Levelling Up White Paper to be published and it is clear that this is increasingly urgent to better understand how Government want to work in partnership with the North East to support us with our economic recovery to address these gaps and avoid further economic imbalance.”

“Today’s statistics cover the North East region, which includes the North East LEP area and Tees Valley Combined Authority area.

“For the third month in a row we have seen a decrease in the employment rate, meaning there are fewer people in work, but more significantly, an increase in the economic inactivity rate, which is the number of people who have left the labour market and are not actively looking for work. This has increased more than any other English region and the gap between the North East and the next English region (Yorkshire and the Humber) is significant.

“The North East region has an additional 33,000 working age people who are inactive compared to the same period in 2020. Recent increases in inactivity have been particularly large among the youngest workers, but there have also been increases among those aged 35 to 64.

“There is more work to do to understand the detail behind these changes, but it is now apparent that because the North East region has the highest inactivity rate across all regions in England, we need to work with government to ensure a swift implementation of the Skills White Paper and to ensure the Levelling Up White paper is published and progressed early in 2022 with no further delays.”

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership’s Strategy and Policy Director, Richard Baker, has commented on today’s regional labour market statistics, released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS)*.

“As we move out of COVID-19 controls into a policy agenda focused on levelling up the national economy, today’s data supports the need for government to focus this agenda on a group of issues in the northern labour market.

“Today’s figures show furlough has been successful in containing the rise of unemployment amongst employees throughout the pandemic. Early commentators suggested the impact of COVID-19 could see North East regional unemployment exceed 10% but today it is around just half that at 5.1%.

“They also show a bounce back in employee numbers in the region. Between February and November 2020, payrolled employee numbers in the North East LEP area fell by almost 20,000 or 2.5%. However, between November 2020 and October 2021, numbers increased by almost 32,000, resulting in a figure 1.5% higher than it was pre-pandemic – which is good news. But there are also significant challenges.

“The region’s economic ambitions set out in our Strategic Economic Plan are that the North East has more people working, with fewer unemployed people (not in work but looking for work) and fewer being economically inactive (having left the labour market) compared with the rest of the country.

“Today, we can see that whilst we’ve had the largest decrease in the unemployment rate over the last year, this has not been accompanied by an increased employment rate. Instead, the economic inactivity rate has increased by more than in any other English region, with an additional 32,000 working age people being inactive compared to the same period of 2020. Recent increases in inactivity have been particularly large among older workers.

“There is more work to do to understand the detail behind these changes. However, we can see that the North East region has about 4,200 fewer employees in manufacturing than pre-Covid, with decreases in some service sectors too. Meanwhile there have been large increases in the number of employees in sectors such as health, science and education as our economy changes.

“Experimental data produced this month seems to confirm the trend we saw last month that we are seeing large numbers of older workers leaving the labour force, as well as continuing challenges for the very youngest.

“Both the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber have also experienced falling employment and rising inactivity, but this is not true elsewhere in England, highlighting the need for distinct employment policies for the North.

ENDS.

A new report published by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP) has highlighted the impact digital exclusion in the North East LEP area is having on people’s ability to access education, skills and employment.

Commissioned by the North East LEP’s Skills Advisory Panel (SAP), ‘Digital Exclusion in the North East LEP Area’ looks specifically at the economic and skills-related impacts of digital exclusion in County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside and Sunderland.

Published alongside IPPR North’s ‘Addressing digital exclusion in North East England’ research paper, the LEP’s digital exclusion report was carried out by New Skills Consulting.

Using data from the Office for National Statistics, it shows more than 200,000 people in the North East LEP area have either never used the internet, or have not used it in the last three months. It also reinforces existing findings that show people from disadvantaged backgrounds are most affected by digital exclusion.

Michelle Rainbow, Skills Director at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, said: ‘Whilst we know digital exclusion is a problem in the North East, the coronavirus pandemic has really exacerbated the issue and highlighted why we must address it now.

“This report has allowed us to see the scale of the problem for the first time, and how COVID-19 has extended the gap that already existed in our region.

“If we truly want to level up the country and provide opportunities for all, we must address the issue of digital exclusion, and we must do it in partnership with businesses, education, the voluntary sector, and the public sector.”

‘Digital Exclusion in the North East LEP Area’ highlights that whilst the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the pace of digital adoption, it has also widened the gap in areas like education and employment, particularly for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. A lack of in-person support during the pandemic has made it easier for people to withdraw, and limited access to digital devices has prevented people from accessing online training, job searches, and interviews.

Employers have also raised concerns about a lack of digital skills within the region’s workforce. A survey by the Department for Education in 2019 found 20% of North East employers found it difficult to recruit applicants with computer literacy or basic IT skills. 26% said they found it difficult to recruit people with advanced or specialist IT skills.

The report also looks at the effectiveness of existing initiatives to address digital exclusion, arguing that the current system is complex, with overlapping programmes and gaps in support. It also argues that much of the support available quickly becomes out of date and doesn’t meet the learning needs of people using the services.

Michelle continued: “If we look to countries like Finland, digital literacy is something that’s taught from kindergarten, it has the same level of importance as reading, writing and math’s.

“Whatever our agreed approach moving forward, we need to recognise that this issue isn’t just something that affects young people; it impacts people of all ages and at every stage in their lives. If people can’t access online tools to extend their learning, or can’t search and apply for employment opportunities online, how can they get into work or move up the career ladder from low-skill to high-skill jobs?”

The report puts forward a series of recommendations, recognising that the region’s response requires the support of academia; business; the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector; and the public sector.

Carol Botten, CEO of VONNE (Voluntary Organisations Network North East) and member of the North East LEP Skills Advisory Panel (SAP), said: “Some of the recommendations in our report can be delivered regionally, but others will need the support of Government and other stakeholders.

“We need to address the problem of access to digital devices, and how connectivity can be an additional barrier to people using digital services.

“We also need to prioritise education in digital skills from an early age, and ensure it becomes part of the curriculum in further and higher education.

“And by working with the business community, we can begin to develop a common framework for basic digital skills that meets the needs of employers.”

Michelle concluded: “Using the insights from this report and the IPPR North report, we plan to raise awareness of the scale of the challenge, agree a collective vision for the North East, and draw up the key areas we need to prioritise and address.

“This is a huge challenge for our region, and we won’t be able to tackle it all in one go. But we can start the process and make sure no one in the North East is left behind because they lack access to the digital skills, equipment and infrastructure so many of us take for granted.”

Read the Executive Summary of Digital Exclusion in the North East LEP Area by visiting the North East Evidence Hub.

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership’s (North East LEP) Strategy and Policy Director, Richard Baker, has commented on today’s regional labour market statistics, released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS)*.

Richard Baker said: “We’re now starting to see the shape of the labour market in the region as the economy moves out of Covid-related restrictions and support.

“The overall picture in today’s figures is of a labour market which is in recovery, but with a changed structure since early 2020. This recovery is tentative, with other data showing a slow-down in recent growth, the influence of other factors such as skills shortages in a number of sectors, and the need for support for workers to adapt to the changing demands of the labour market. There is some way to go to return to the pre-pandemic position.

“The latest regional employment data release covers the May to July three month period, during which some Covid-19 restrictions were eased. The ONS has also released experimental payroll data which provides more up to date data and also new data that provides the first statistics for local areas for a period entirely after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic (Apr 2020-Mar 2021).

“During May-July, the number of people aged 16 and over in employment in the North East region increased by over 7,000 compared to the previous quarter, although the total is still 18,000 less than in the same period during 2020. The number of unemployed people decreased by 12,000, compared to the previous quarter. The data suggests that some of this decrease was due to people leaving the labour market.

“The experimental pay roll measure shows an increase of 2,500 in the number of payrolled employees in the North East LEP area in August, and the total is now 7,500 higher than in March 2020. This source does not cover all people in employment, excluding, for example, self-employed workers.

“Comparing the newly released employment totals in the North East LEP area for the April 2020-March 2021 period with those a year earlier shows the impact of Covid-19 on self-employed and part-time workers in the area.

“The overall decrease in employment of 10,000 (1.1%) was driven by a fall of over 17,000 in self-employment. Among the area’s part-time workers, employment decreased by 9,500, compared to a drop of 500 in the number of full-time workers.

“Overall, the North East continues to have the second highest regional unemployment rate (5.3% of the economically active) among the nine English regions. The region also has the highest proportion of 16 to 64-year olds who are economically inactive (23.9%).

“At the end of July, about 41,000 workers in the North East LEP area were still furloughed, representing about 5.2% of all eligible employees. About 22% of these furloughed workers were in manufacturing, with 16% in food and accommodation services and most of the rest in other service sectors. More than half of furloughed workers in the North East region were on partial furlough, highlighting the gradual return to pre-Covid levels of employment.

“This data shows that there are opportunities to drive forward, but a number of challenges which need ongoing stimulus to the economy and support for individuals and businesses. The North East LEP will continue to work with Government and our partners to provide support to our regional economy as we work through the recovery phase and to seek investment into the proposals in our Recovery Plan to help accelerate our recovery.”

*The official data released today includes employment information based on surveys in three month period May to July 2021 for the North East region, which includes the North East and Tees Valley LEP areas. It also includes experimental estimates of payrolled employee numbers for August 2021 and LEP area data for the 12 month period April 2020-March 2021. The data has recently been revised to take account of improved population estimates.

“The latest data covers the March to May period, during which some COVID-19 restrictions were eased. Despite these changes, the overall labour market picture remained relatively unchanged on the previous (December to February) quarter with both the employment and unemployment rates remaining the same.

“The North East continues to have the lowest working-age employment rate (72.0%) among the nine English regions and the second highest unemployment rate (5.8% of the economically active). The region also has the highest proportion of people who are economically inactive (23.6%).

“ONS continue to innovate with new data approaches to provide more up to date intelligence to support assessment of the economy, for example, a new experimental measure of payrolled employees. This suggests a more positive picture with the latest monthly estimate showing there was an increase of almost 12,000 payrolled employees in June. This is encouraging and we will monitor how this new data set develops given it is subject to revision and excludes information about self-employed workers.

“Beneath the general figures, COVID-19 continues to have an impact on the working lives of many people in the North East region and appears to be exacerbating inequalities. Whilst people were securing new jobs and there is growth in vacancies, about 4,400 workers experienced redundancy in the latest quarter, more than twice the total in the previous quarter and bringing the total to over 32,000 since March 2020. The latest data shows a particular impact on women in the North East with female employment falling by 3,600 in the latest quarter, in contrast to a 2,800 increase among males.

“Job seekers claimant count data provides indications of the variations of unemployment within the North East LEP area. At constituency level, the rates range from 2.8% in Hexham to 9.0% in South Shields.

“At the end of May, almost 63,000 workers in the North East LEP area were still furloughed, with workers in food and accommodation services still making up almost a quarter of this figure. Manufacturing accounted for 11,000 of the furloughed workers, a total that did not drop during those three months.

“This provides a strong rationale for the ‘Levelling Up’ agenda with support needed to the North East as a whole and for places within the region. Over the longer term, our Recovery Plan sets out proposals to drive forward our vision of a more sustainable, competitive and inclusive regional economy. As the Prime Minister outlines the next steps with for the Levelling Up strategy, the North East LEP will continue to work with Government and our partners to provide support to our regional economy as we work through the recovery phase to seek investment into these proposals.”

*The official data released today includes employment information based on surveys in three month period March to May 2021 for the North East region, which includes the North East and Tees Valley LEP areas. It also includes experimental estimates of payrolled employee numbers and job seekers claimant count numbers for June 2021. The regional data has been revised to take account of improved population estimates.

Tag: Employment

An outstanding college business partnership in Ashington

North East Local Enterprise Partnership reaction to ONS regional labour market statistics

Levelling Up – Statement from our Chair, Lucy Winskell OBE.

North East Local Enterprise Partnership reaction to ONS regional labour market statistics

North East Local Enterprise Partnership reaction to ONS regional labour market statistics

North East Local Enterprise Partnership reaction to ONS regional labour market statistics.

New report highlights impact of digital exclusion on access to education and employment in the North East

North East Local Enterprise Partnership reaction to ONS regional labour market statistics

North East Local Enterprise Partnership reaction to ONS regional labour market statistics