Agenda item

Councillor Shaikh, the Executive Member for Inclusive Economy and Jobs, presented the report summarising performance of the services within her portfolio. The Executive Member also presented on the employment support services available to residents with long term conditions, including learning disabilities and mental health issues. Andrea Stark, Director of Employment, Skills and Culture, and Nicky Freeling, Head of iWork, also contributed to the presentation.

The following main points were noted in the discussion:

·         900 residents had been supported into paid work between April and December 2018; exceeding the target of 750 by 20%. The Executive Member commented that the “Team Islington” approach of working closely with partner organisations had contributed to this success.

·         The Executive Member advised that the offer of employment support services had developed considerably since the Employment Commission concluded in 2014 and would continue to evolve further in future. It was thought that local employment support services had benefitted from shared marketing and communications and the development of an online directory.

·         The number of young people aged 18 to 25 supported into paid work was below target, however it was explained that accurate statistics were not available. Work was underway to address this.

·         The Committee welcomed that the number of residents with disabilities and long term health conditions supported into paid employment was above target.

·         Employment support services worked closely with adult social care to commission suitable support and create appropriate placements for those with long term conditions, including learning disabilities. This included adult community learning programmes, flexible employment opportunities with wrap around support, and wellbeing therapies for the long term unemployed.

·         Flexible work placements were particularly beneficial to those who did not have experience of regular employment, as it was important to build the confidence of residents who may have previously struggled to access employment.

·         The council’s iWork service had brokered work placements in a nursing home that were ring-fenced for residents with learning difficulties. These placements made use of an adjusted recruitment process which included one-to-one support in completing an application form and attending a work trial instead of a formal interview. Applicants were then assessed on their ability to complete tasks rather than their interview responses.

·         The council had set a target of supporting 20 adults with learning disabilities into paid employment each year. This target was set due to the intensive support that these residents required to maintain employment.

·         The Committee watched two short video case studies of Islington residents who had been supported into paid employment through the council’s support services. A member asked how effective the videos had been as an outreach tool. It was advised that this would be taken up with the Communications Team.

·         The council was reviewing how adult community learning courses were promoted. It was hoped that better targeting of communications would help to increase participation, particularly among parents of children aged 0 to 18.

·         The Committee welcomed that 900 young people had taken part in the Summer Reading Challenge. An ambitious target of 1000 participants had been set. Although this had not been achieved, engaging 900 children in reading was a positive outcome.

·         There had been almost 800,000 visits to libraries from April to December 2018. It was queried if the council could track the activities in libraries, as this may help to measure performance against corporate priorities, such as digital inclusion.

·         The Committee was pleased that the target for the number of residents supported into paid work had been exceeded, however queried if this employment had been sustained. In response, it was advised that the council monitored the employment status of those it had supported into work for one year and apprentices for two years. Approximately 75% of those who had participated in employment support programmes delivered by the council had maintained their employment over the previous year. However, not all partner organisations that delivered employment support services collected comprehensive data on employment sustainability. The council was working with these partners to encourage them to collect more accurate data.

·         Officers noted that previously the council’s primary focus had been on supporting residents into employment. More recently, there had been a stronger focus on supporting residents into high-quality employment that paid at least the London Living Wage. The Committee suggested that the council should further emphasise its focus on high-quality employment, to demonstrate that the council’s employment support programmes were superior to others.

·         The Executive Member advised that Islington aspired to be the first London Living Wage place, where all major employers paid the London Living Wage and where major employers adopted flexible working practices.

·         A discussion was had on the number of BAME residents accessing employment support programmes and how this data was collected. It was agreed that further demographic breakdown would be provided outside of the meeting, with greater detail of the types of programmes and opportunities being accessed, and an analysis of any trends related to residents with protected characteristics. 

·         A member advised that she had recently attended the event celebrating five years since the conclusion of the Employment Commission. It was reported that this was an interesting and useful event, however a couple of the partner organisations present had advised that they currently had vacancies that they were struggling to fill. It was queried if the council was actively working to support residents into those vacancies. In response, it was advised that services were working to support residents into a range of vacancies, however this was sometimes challenging work. Some residents had entrenched issues and were not ready for full time employment, others did not want to engage with employment support services.

·         A member asked if the council could provide small tables and chairs for children in libraries, suggesting that these could be rolled out at the same time as Lego Clubs. In response, it was advised that the council had limited resources for library furniture, however a written response would be sent.

·         The Committee requested further details of the adult and community learning courses available and a detailed demographic breakdown of those accessing the courses, including ethnicity and class.

·         The Executive Member advised that a range of adult and community learning courses were available, including English and Maths, and also vocational courses which were sector-specific. It was commented that other boroughs offered courses which were more focused on leisure activities, however Islington required that all courses had a strong focus on skills and employability.

·         It was advised that adult and community learning courses were promoted through various means, including through the local organisation Help on Your Doorstep, who were trusted in the local community.

·         The Committee suggested that the organisations taking part in the council’s Cultural Enrichment Programme “11 by 11” may also be able to offer work experience or other opportunities, such as apprenticeships and traineeships.

·         It was noted that 60 cultural organisations had signed up to the 11 by 11 programme and 50 of 65 local schools were present at the recent launch event. The council would be monitoring the progress of the programme and outcomes would be reported to a future meeting. 

·         Cultural organisations were expected to be active partners in the 11 by 11 programme, hosting a free visit, school assemblies, and learning resources for teachers.

·         The Executive Member commented on the opportunities associated with the London Screen Academy opening in Islington in 2019.

·         Officers advised that non-British BAME residents were under represented in the local construction sector and the council was working with employers to address this.

·         Officers commented that there was a growing demand for apprenticeships in digital employment sectors.

·         A member of the public asked how many schools and businesses had signed up to the “100 hours’ World of Work” pledge. In response, it was advised that work was already underway and was being mapped and a platform was being developed for schools to use. The response from primary schools had been very encouraging and a number of businesses were keen to participate. It was expected that more comprehensive data would be available in the next academic year.

RESOLVED:

That the progress that the end of Quarter 3 against performance indicators for Employment, Skills and Culture which fall within the remit of the Environment and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee be noted.