Issue - meetings

The Senior Project Officer for Employment and Skills presented the Employment and Skills Strategy and Delivery Plan. Members were advised that the strategy aligned with the Council's Corporate Plan, Growth Strategy and wider Lincolnshire employment and skills priorities, and had been developed using labour market intelligence, economic data and stakeholder engagement.

During the debate, Members welcomed the strategy and discussed the challenges facing residents seeking employment, particularly young people, with comments referencing the national difficulties as well as local. Reference was made to the importance of supporting employability, skills development and training opportunities, as well as ensuring local businesses could access and retain a skilled workforce.

Discussion also took place regarding the availability of employment opportunities, engagement with employers, support available through partner organisations and the importance of strengthening relationships with education and training providers both within and beyond Lincolnshire, for example in Scunthorpe, Doncaster, or Grimsby.

In response, officers advised that supporting young people remained a key priority within the strategy and highlighted the role of partnership working, employer engagement and external funding opportunities in delivering its objectives. It was confirmed that engagement had begun with North Lindsey College in Scunthorpe, and through Local Government Reorganisation there would be a focus on strengthening those cross-boundary partnerships.

With no further comments, having been proposed, seconded, and voted upon, it was unanimously

RESOLVED that

a)    the Employment and Skills Strategy be approved as the Council's framework for supporting skills development, employability and employer engagement across West Lindsey; and

b)    the Delivery Plan be endorsed as the supporting implementation framework for the Strategy; and

c)    authority be delegated to the Director of Planning, Regeneration and Communities, following consultation with the Chairman of the Thriving People Committee, to make final presentational, factual and typographical amendments prior to publication.