1.
The
National Training Federation for Wales (NTfW) welcomes the
opportunity to contribute to this hugely important inquiry.
2.
The
NTfW is a ‘not for profit’ membership organisation of
over 100 organisations involved in the delivery of apprenticeships
and employability skills programmes in Wales. We are a
pan-Wales representative body for the network of quality assured
work-based learning providers, who are contracted by the Welsh
Government to deliver their apprenticeship and employability
programmes. All
providers who are commissioned by the Welsh Government to deliver
work-based learning programmes in Wales are members of the
NTfW. As such, the NTfW is seen as the authoritative
organisation on apprenticeships and employability skills programmes
in Wales.
3. The aim of this Submission Paper is to provide evidence to the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee as part of their review into the Regional Skills Partnerships.
4. The data and evidence being used by the Regional Skills Partnerships (RSPs) is valid and reliable, but there are issues in regards to it timeliness. It is clear that much of the data and evidence used by the RSPs is secondary, but what is needed most is primary date i.e. data obtained directly from employers within the regions.
5.
There
are concerns shown by our members that some of the data is too high
a level, and more detailed Labour Market Information (LMI) is
required. However, this will take more physical resource to
gather, and/or the use of more robust data, provided by
organisations such as EMSI[1].
6. It is recognised that all RSPs engage with medium to large employers, and that micro and small employers are engaged with through their representative bodies, most notably the Federation for Small Business (FSB). However, it is clear that there is a lack of engagement directly with micro and small businesses, which is going to be difficult given the level of physical resources at the RSPs disposal.
7.
The
emergence of the various City Region and Growth Deals has clearly
had an impact on the work of the RSPs. Although, it is good
to see that the various bodies have sought to use the existing RSP
structures as a vehicle to establish the demand and supply of
skills and training. However, what is also clear is that
there are emerging tensions between the needs and aspirations of
‘regional government’ and that of the Welsh
Government. This is an area that will need closer monitoring
and scrutiny moving forward, if we are to avoid situations of
duplication of effort, and/or making the skills system even more
complicated for employers and individuals to navigate.
8. In general, yes. However, some concern is shown by NTfW members that engagement between the RSPs and employers can be too narrow i.e. focused on Welsh Government’s priority sectors and to the detriment to ‘non-priority sectors’ who also have skills needs to be met. In addition, NTfW members would like to see more LMI to be generated by the RSPs at a local authority level, as well as a macro-regional level.
9. The NTfW believes that its members are best placed to assist the RSPs in gathering LMI at micro and SME level of employer, as much, if not all, of their provision is delivered directly to employers. This is an area we would be keen to work with each of the three RSPs on moving forward.
10. Unfortunately, not. There still remains a persistent lack of understanding of the ‘Foundational Economy’ and the skills needs within it. This is understandable, if the limited resources of the RSPs are directed towards establishing the needs within the Welsh Government’s ‘priority sectors’. There needs to be a clear distinction between ‘foundational jobs’ and ‘jobs within the foundational economy’.
11.
In terms
of skills provision through the medium of Welsh, there is a role
that the RSPs can play in establishing what employer demand is,
through the various skills surveys undertaken. However, any
future work to be undertaken must be in consultation and
partnership with the expanded remit of the Coleg Cymraeg
Cenedlaethol.
12. No.
13.
As
outlined previously, much of the attention of the limited resources
within the RSPs are focused on ‘priority sectors’ and
higher-level skills. This is at the detriment of lower-level
skills, particularly within the ‘non-priority
sectors’. It is recognised by NTfW and its members,
that businesses and individuals in these areas also have skills
needs, but are often over-looked.
14. Yes, but the RSPs need to work more closely with the responsible for delivering these programmes i.e. work-based learning providers and colleges to understand the demands of delivering them. There is a good model for this within one of the RSPs, where they have established a provider reference group. It is our view that this should be replicated by the others.
15.
There
are tensions in this regard. The main issue here, being that
the RSPs need to produce their Employment and Skills Plans, so that
they are cost-neutral i.e. there will be winners and losers.
However, what is clear is that demand (from employers) is
outstripping supply (from providers) so therefore the actual
regional demand cannot be met. This is particularly true at
the moment with apprenticeships provision, where the impacts of the
apprenticeships levy are being acutely felt, and that
apprenticeship providers are not able to service the demand from
employers, either because of contract restrictions and/or budgetary
constraints. In effect, we are asking employers what they
want, but failing to deliver. An example of this is the
inability to deliver Level 2 provision within ‘priority
sectors’ identified by the RSPs.
16.
There is
recognition that the RSPs have reinforced the needs of the
‘priority sectors’ over ‘non-priority
sectors’, but NTfW members report that the activity of the
RSPs and the Welsh Government has not been to
“stimulate” demand in these areas, but that there was
already demand in the regions.
17.
With the
demise of the pan-UK infrastructure to establish and evidence LMI,
in order to influence skills interventions to best effect, it is
clear that there is a role for bodies to undertake the functions
that were once undertaken by the UK Commission for Employment and
Skills (UKCES) and the component Sector Skills Organisations.
With the advent of the three RSPs in Wales, we now have the makings
of a good infrastructure to undertake this crucial work.
However, and as has been discussed elsewhere, the existing bodies
are not sufficiently resourced to fulfil this function. That
said, there are examples of good engagement between the RSPs and
employer forums, as well as good examples of employer
‘cluster groups’ to inform development.
18. Engagement with micro and SME employers is a concern, but an area which could be improved if the RSPs worked directly with work-based learning providers and colleges to access this hugely important element of the Welsh economy.