The event provided the partnership with an opportunity to review successes, discuss progress and lessons learned, share good practice and develop relationships further as we drive forward the Future Jobs Fund programme into the next phase, helping young people back into employment.

A key element of the event was also to provide an opportunity to find out more about the comprehensive In Work Support available for Future Jobs Fund employees and employers supported by ONE North East and provided free across Tyne and Wear City Region.

Details of the event, including all of the presentations given, are available here.   

There are a number of project objectives:  

• Identify gaps and duplications in provision to inform future planning, alongside mapping provider performance.

• Provide robust information to influence local, sub-regional, city-regional, regional and national funding streams and priorities, covering all adult employability.

• Identify activities to address worklessness which are being funded directly by discretionary funding streams and mainstream programmes. 

• Identify, develop and maintain the funding/provision picture through the use of enhanced IT functionality (eg Hanlon Data Management System).

• Influence the targeting of resources available locally, sub regionally, city regionally, regionally and nationally.

• Create links between existing regional database(s).

• Help build partnership capacity to assume greater responsibility for commissioning and co-ordinating employment services.

• Optimise existing networks to both showcase and further build the capacity of Local Authorities in improving employability across the region.

   

For further information contact:

Donna McIntyre – Project Manager

North East Improvement & Efficiency Partnership

E: donna.mcintyre@northeastcouncils.gov.uk

Find out more about our programmes at www.northeastiep.gov.uk

Last year, despite tough labour conditions, over 70,000 16-17 year olds started an Apprenticeship. But we also know there are still many more young people who want to learn whilst they are in work.

In response to this the National Apprenticeship Service are introducing Age 16 and 17 payments of £2,500 to enable employers to offer new Apprenticeship job opportunities and take on an unemployed 16 or 17 year old apprentices immediately. The £2,500 grant is in addition to the cost of training which is already met by the National Apprenticeship Service. 

The National Aprrenticeship Service want to support employers, particularly small and medium sized employers, who are interested in employing an apprentice for the first time, or who want to employ an additional apprentice over their traditional level of recruitment. Support through Age 16 and 17 is available now. It is a short-term (available until the end of March 2010) measure and is available immediately for employers who are able to offer a job opportunity to an unemployed young person.

An Employer Fact Sheet is attached here. If you would like further details please contact the National Apprenticeship Service on 08000 150600 or visit www.apprenticeships.org.uk

This development builds on the good work already undertaken to develop the Hanlon Skills Register System with work completed over the last three years aligning activities and developing a common data framework. This has enabled more effective use of the system and performance reporting at a City Region, sub-region and local level.

For further information on the Provider Portal or the Hanlon Data Management System please contact Jonah Morris on 0191 6436060.  

The campaign also signposts the help available to employers and individuals to access training and development opportunities, apprenticeships and support those who have lost their jobs getting back into work

Further details can be found on http://www.realhelpnortheast.co.uk/