1. Ray Walker Business Executive Director – Local Authorities, Community and School Development Birmingham Metropolitan College The Role of Further Education in the Development of Skills and Economic Growth

2. Challenge set down by government: “ Skills for Sustainable Growth” “Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth” “New Challenges, New Changes”

3. Promote Adult Skills. High Quality Teaching and learning Free Colleges/Providers from bureaucracy to enable better response to local needs/communities. Better investment in skills between the taxpayer, learner and employer.

4. Apprenticeships: Significant increases in the number of apprenticeships in the region. Greater increase in youth apprenticeships as well as adult apprenticeships. Government funding for 250,000 more apprenticeships over the next four years. More High level Apprenticeships. Apprenticeship Training Associations/Agencies (ATAs) and Group Training Associations/Agencies (GTAs).

5. Adult Skills Budget- Provision for the unemployed: Meet the needs of those claiming JSA and ESA in Work Related Activity Group. Referral via Jobcentre Plus Provision appropriate to learner and employer needs. Job Outcome Incentive Payments.

6. Skills Conditionality: Skills training a condition of continued receipt of benefit. Benefit sanction for non participants

7. Colleges and Training Providers to support Service Academies: Combining work placements with pre- employment training. Guaranteed Interviews with employers.

8. Key Developments to support growth via skills development: Review of funding. Lifelong Learning Accounts Launch. Development of new industry – led professional standard schemes – ensuring qualifications are valued and are of high quality.

9. £210 million /year protection of informal Adult Community Learning. Fully funded provision for the low skilled, young people and jobseekers. Government backed loans for first time in FE for learners aged 24+. Upfront cost of training not being a barrier to following learning and skills.

10. Growth and Innovation fund: £50 million / year. Pump prime and pilot selected projects, build leadership and management skills in SMEs.

11. What else needs to be done? Greater integration of the pre 19 and post 19 activity to address skills and employability. Young NEETs can and often do become older NEETs/long term unemployed.

12. Addressing the skills and employment agenda much earlier with young people. Wolf Report – more appropriate vocational learning for young people. Following vocational qualifications that are recognised by employers. High quality Internships –a real engagement with the world of work.

13. New structural arrangements to deliver education and training. Continued focus on functional skills and employability skills. Differentiated approach for specific disadvantaged groups. Programmes that integrate “wrap around” support with good teaching and skills delivery.