Putting education and skills at the centre of the Northern Powerhouse

United Kingdom

This article was produced by Nabarro LLP, which joined CMS on 1 May 2017.

Summary and implictions

The inaugural Sheffield City Region Skills Summit took place in Rotherham on 19 May. Schools, colleges, providers, policy makers and businesses engaged in a debate about the future education, skills, needs and opportunities for the City Region. The event was hosted by BBC Home Editor Mark Easton and there was a keynote address from Nick Boles MP, Minister of State for Schools.

It is acknowledged that improving schools and skills is a crucial component for building a strong economy and society and creating a "northern powerhouse".

The Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (SCR LEP) has prioritised the skills agenda and the City Region has become a leading area for skills, policy development and progress. Education and skills were central planks of the City Region's devolution deal which was negotiated and concluded with government in March 2016. The City Region is leading the way nationally in designing local solutions to skills issues. It is the first region in the UK to secure a commitment to full devolution of the Adult Education Budget (19+ education) and it is presently co-designing with the Department for Work and Pensions, the government's new employment support programme – "Work and Health Programme".

Sheffield City Region has nationally significant vocational educational assets, including the AMRC Training Centre and it will be the host for the National College for High Speed Rail. The SCR LEP has developed a range of programmes including "Skills Made Easy" which advises and supports businesses to recruit and train apprentices, a "Grant for Apprenticeships" to SME's to employ an apprentice and an employment programme called "Ambition SCR" which provides support for young people to help them find and stay in work.

The government has devolved to the City Region national funds that support capital build in colleges. This resource sits within the SCR LEP, enabling the City Region to better plan the facilities that learners and employers need. These successes are important and significant and will be further enhanced through the devolution deal.

The centrepiece of the recent Skills Summit was the launch of the Sheffield City Region Skills Bank. This ground breaking and innovative initiative effectively matches employer investment and skills with public money for businesses wishing to work with publicly funded providers of skills. This is a co-investment and training for employers where a skill need is identified that will help business grow.

This is being delivered by PwC as the Skills Bank operator and will involve some £20m plus of devolved funds to link skills and training directly to business growth. This has never been done before in the UK and this is a pilot that government are very keen to learn from.

The ambition and commitment of the Sheffield City Region LEP is to create an end-to-end skills system with devolved influence of elements of the work and budgets of BIS, DfE and DWP.

The Sheffield City Region recognises that if it is to maximise its potential it must improve its educational and skills performance and it is addressing the challenges and realising the opportunities through investment, collaboration and leadership.

There has been a concerted effort to renew the economy of the North as part of the Chancellor's "Northern Powerhouse" agenda. There is a growing recognition that education and skills need to be at the very heart of this project. Sheffield City Region is leading the way through a skills and employment strategy aimed at delivering positive outcomes and results.

Martin McKervey is a Private Sector Board Member of the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership and Transport for the North Partnership Board.