Workshop 1

The processes of Local Economic Assessments, Worklessness Assessments and Work and Skills Plans are designed to be inherently linked. The timeframes set out by Government for these processes are however varied with areas in receipt of Working Neighbourhoods Fund and Future Jobs Fund expected to have Interim Work and Skills Plans in place by April 2010.

This event was designed to clear up some of the policy rhetoric around Worklessness Assessments and Work and Skills Plans and provide you with:

• An understanding of the heterogeneity of worklessness and tackling it;
• An understanding of the factors influencing worklessness;
• An overview of the policy relating to Worklessness Assessments and Work and Skills Plans;
• A mechanism for writing Worklessness Assessments and Work and Skills Plans;
• An opportunity to discuss with peers the purpose of Worklessness Assessments and Work and Skills Plans.

Headline issues driving worklessness

Below are the headline issues that local authorities that attended the CLES Worklessness, Worklessness Assessments and Work and Skills plans workshop felt were driving worklessness within their localities. The number of different challenges the local authorities identified shows the need for a real understanding of worklessness and its causes in a locality and why the integrated Work and Skills Plan will have to ensure it engages all relevant partners.

• Lack of resident skills
• Lack of enterprise within a locality;
• Generational worklessness;
• Access to jobs;
• Engaging hard to reach/disengaged communities;
• Low aspirations among the resident population;
• Issues around health/mental health/incapacity;
• External influencing factors such as recession;
• Inequality- tackling the real pockets of deprivation;
• Culture of not engaging with the job market;
• Loss of a major employer;
• Graduate displacement- low skilled workforce;
• Local economies that rely on the public sector- potential for a double dip recession;

The presentations from the Worklessness, Worklessness Assessments and Work and Skills Plans workshop are below.

Steve Fothergill presentation.pdf

Ken Barnsley – Blackburn with Darwen presentation.pdf

LEA workshop 1 – NeilMcInroy – CLES presentation.pdf

LEA Network workshop draft programme.pdf