Skills strategy set to launch in Sheffield to help job seekers and employers

An employment and skills strategy for the next 10 years in Sheffield will be launched this summer.

The strategy has involved Sheffield City Council with a range of partners including The Sheffield College, both city universities, NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, the Council, Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and Industry, South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority and the Department for Work & Pensions, plus the city voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector.

Four key action areas are:

Supporting employers to grow and thrive through effective skills and employment support;

Developing effective and accessible skills pathways to good quality employment;

Providing tailored and hyper-local support to address labour market disparities;

Working with key city institutions, employers and investors to maximise social value.

Sheffield College principal Angela Foulkes, who chairs South Yorkshire Skills Advisory Board, spoke about the strategy at a meeting yesterday (April 3) of Sheffield City Council’s economic skills and development policy committee.

She said that the focus is on working collaboratively to use thin resources as effectively as possible for the greater good.

Coun Denise Fox said she had attended a recent apprenticeship fair and was really impressed at how employers and course providers were actively engaging with school students and young people, offering to get in touch to let them know what is on offer.

“The things they were saying is very encouraging and I’ve not seen it for a long time,” she said.

Ms Foulkes spoke about the South Yorkshire Apprenticeship Hub, which helps to point both potential apprentices and employers in the right direction.

She also said that the college has been concentrating on recruiting more construction and engineering teaching staff. She said that they had success in getting construction professionals to move into training while taking teaching qualifications.

This is not so easy in engineering where jobs are very well paid, she admitted.

Committee chair Coun Martin Smith said that inspectors gave the council’s apprentice training centre a high rating. Inspectors said it is easily in the top five in the country, he said.

Coun Barbara Masters said that the increase in employers’ National Insurance contributions has led some small local businesses to drop plans to take on new apprentices.