1. Aligning the work of the Compact to the D2N2 skills priorities
Richard Kirkland
ESIF Coordinator

2. D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership
By 2023 we will:
Develop sector growth agreements
Deliver 55,000 new jobs in the private sector
Accelerate delivery of 77,000 new homes
Deliver a step change in skills outcomes
Increase our business base
Share the benefits of growth across our communities
Creative Industries
Transport & Logistics
Life Science
D2N2 is the UK’s fifth largest LEP and has the ambition to match. We have put in place the rationale, team and priorities to deliver growth effectively.
Business Led – LEP Board, consists of business leaders, local authorities, higher and further education and voluntary sector.
Local Growth Fund – mostly via DfT
£2billion per year for next 5 years across all LEPs (average of £50m per year, per LEP)
EU Structural & Investment Funds ( )
£104.4m ERDF (European Regional Development Fund)
Supporting business, particularly SMEs
£104.4m ESF (European Social Fund)
Supporting people with employment and skills
£6.1m EAFRD (European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development)
Supporting economic growth in rural areas
Enterprise Zone Uplift
D2N2 Growth Deal

3. What are the Skills Challenges
A mismatch between career aspirations of young people and the reality of the jobs market
16-23 year olds struggle to compete with older workers (3 times more than 24+)
Ageing population and people working longer
Lack of experience of young people into work
Only ¼ of businesses offer work experience to young people in education
A link between high levels of youth unemployment and low take-up of vocational courses

4. What are the Skills Challenges
23% of businesses face difficulty in getting experienced staff with expertise in STEM
41% of D2N2 businesses don’t invest in skills development
SME’s make up 99% of the overall employer numbers in the D2N2 area 
A rise in female unemployment and part time work
Youth unemployment has increased more in D2N2 than elsewhere
The latest unemployment rate for D2N2 is 9%
Latest rate of unemployment for in D2N2 sits at 22.6% which exceeds the regional (20.5%) and national (21.3%) averages 
70% of SMEs do not recruit graduates
81% of SMEs aren’t confident that school leavers at 16 have the right employability skills
32% of 14 to 18 year olds in the UK were undertaking some vocational study – compared with an average of 50% for the rest of the UK

5. Developing the Local Skills Offer
Skills Advisory Groups in Priority Sectors – Actions Plans for Low Carbon, Construction, Visitor Economy, Food & Drink Manufacturing, Life Sciences, Transport Equipment Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics, Creative Industries
Enhance Apprenticeship offer – work with employers/ universities/ providers to grow Apprenticeships including Higher level Employability Framework for young people – support for school / college leavers gain ‘employability’ skills

6. Developing the Local Skills Offer
Promote graduate recruitment and retention - widening business access to graduate talent pool
Developing a Skills Escalator – supporting individuals to develop skills in key economic sectors at levels required by business
D2N2 Growth Hub - provide employers with information and support to get the best skills solutions
Recognition that employers want access to skills development from entry level jobs to higher apprenticeships

7. Strategic Overview
More decisions on skills in the D2N2 area are now being made by local businesses and partners, who understand what is needed. D2N2 works hard to ensure stakeholders – employers, local authorities, schools, colleges, universities, employment and skills providers, community groups, the Government and others – are engaged in this process.
The LEP has helped design skills and training programmes and started joining up services, provision and funding to meet key priorities. These actions will see more young and adult unemployed in work, and a higher skilled
workforce with real career opportunities and job progression.
To help achieve this, six key priorities for action have been identified, set within the context of the ‘D2N2 Skills for Growth Strategy’.
Priority 1: Develop sector growth agreements to make explicit ownership and shared responsibilities for investment, ICT, labour market intelligence and impact measures.
Priority 2: Improve business leadership, management skills and training needs analysis to help increase productivity and performance.
Priority 3: Promote and develop apprenticeships and traineeships to achieve higher level skills and improve social mobility.
Priority 4: Access to Employment for the unemployed and NEETs
Priority 5: Foster enterprise and the characteristics of entrepreneurial behaviour, career adaptability and resilience and raise the visibility of and access to career insights and specialist careers support for young people and adults to raise aspirations, participation, retention and achievement in learning and work.
Priority 6: Promote graduate recruitment and facilitate graduate retention in the region.
The D2N2 LEP with the support of the Skills & Employment Board is positioned to enable and leverage the efficient provision of national, regional and local resources. Making the most of resources will necessitate having trusted information and effective partnerships. Most importantly, our future success will be determined by the enthusiasm and collective efforts of a wide range of people and organisations, including: employers, schools, colleges, universities, private providers and not-for-profit organisations, working to help address the problem of skills mismatch and driving up the social and economic prosperity in local businesses and communities. 

8. So what‘s to be done? Move from planning to delivery
Maximise current and future funding to support skills and employment
D2N2 Growth Deal
European Structural and Investment Fund
Develop easily accessible infrastructure which brings local added value, enhances partnerships and responsive to changing needs of D2N2
Partnerships between employers , universities, providers schools

9. D2N2 Growth Deal Skills Capital
Skills projects commissioned 2015:
Chesterfield Centre for Higher Level Skills, higher apprenticeships, – Derby University - £3.48m
Vision University Centre to support higher level vocational skills – West Nottinghamshire College £2.61m
Skills Hub – NCN/Central College £30m

10. What are the European Structural and Investment Funds ?
ESIF are the EC’s primary mechanism for reducing social and
economic disparities across the EU. In England, these funds
comprise the following elements:
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) £104.4m
Supporting business, particularly SMEs , innovation, business development, ICT, low carbon etc.
European Social Fund (ESF) £104.4m
Supporting people and business with employment and skills, enhancing access to employment and social inclusion
European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) £5.5m
Supports economic development in our rural areas

11. What will ESIF buy in D2N2
ESIF has specific outputs and outcomes: D2N2 have
set the following broad targets for the programme:
5000 businesses receiving support – e.g. ICT, low carbon, SME competitiveness, innovation
400 new enterprises supported
15,000 people supported to find employment
8,000 people supported in relation to social inclusion
2,500 businesses improving skill levels

12. Strategy …. and Activities To Date
2016
2015
2014
Sector Action Plans (Mar) Develop ESF action plan to deliver strategy (Jul)
Map existing provision (Jul)
Consult on local implementation plan (Nov)
CEC Enterprise Adviser Network (Jan)
Procure ESF for (Apr to Jun)
Refresh Skills for Growth Strategy for
Launch the Skills for Growth Strategy (Oct)
Establish Employer and Provider Groups (Dec)
Launch D2N2 Provider Charter (Apr)
D2N2 Employability Charter (Jul)
Productivity Workshops (Jul)
Careers & Enterprise Funding (Dec)
2013

13. Coming Soon EMPLOY Local
£6m ESF
EMPLOY Local is a gateway to SKILLS Local – moving unemployed people into skills and employment
Support for unemployed to take up opportunities that lead to employment
Support for SME’s to create jobs, Apprenticeships, graduate level

14. Coming Soon SKILLS Local
Employer responsive skills development for low skilled employees
Supporting employers to create higher level skill opportunities, Apprenticeships and graduate placements etc.
Skills support for those threatened with redundancy
Bringing new employers to the skills system and supply chain development
Pathway from EMPLOY Local

15. This delivery plan is the start of the East Midlands Devolution for Employment to Skills – the ESF funding is being co-commissioned and co-designed by the D2N2 LEP and key stakeholders to meet the challenges of economic need, local people and local business.
Together, over the next 3-years our plans:
Will see us engage with 3,600 employees and 1,500 SMEs through sector growth, create 300 SME placements and 500 higher apprenticeship roles, create 1000 new apprenticeships and support 800 SMEs to create apprenticeship positions.
We will provide support to 11,000 unemployed people across D2N2, in additional 5,500 NEETs whilst providing 3,700 sustainable jobs for the unemployed.
We will provide business to business skills support to enable business growth for up to 500 SMEs and engage with 600 employees.
We will develop a higher skills programme including the development and delivery of technical programmes to support our growth sectors and employment sectors.
We will through the implementation of the D2N2 Employability Framework and the Enterprise Network provide joined up mechanisms for SMEs to work with schools and colleges, to raise the image of key priority sectors and foster entrepreneurial behaviour. This will result in a decrease in NEETs and reduction of the skills shortages that our businesses tell us about – we will create the workforce for now and the future.

16. Get Involved
Business involvement is vital to inform and deliver the D2N2 skills and employment agenda including:
Be an Apprenticeship / sector / STEM Ambassador
Be an Enterprise Advisor (working with a local school or college)
Be involved with sector specific working groups
Be involved with the D2 and N2 Skills and Employment Boards
For further information business can contact the D2N2 Growth Hub

17. Growth Hub All roads lead to the Growth Hub!!
Call