Report of Acting Strategic Director, Communities and Environment and Strategic Director, Care Wellbeing and Learning

The Committee held its third evidence gathering session as part of its Review to Address Skills Shortages and Increase Employment Opportunities.  The first two sessions have looked at early years and preparedness for school, careers and work inspiration, extra-curricular activity at school and post-16 learning.

 

This session was for two presentations, the first from Dr Emma Barron, Business Development Manager, Northumbria University and Catherine Manley, Access, Success and Progression Manager, Northumbria University.  The second presentation will be from Peter Northrop, Locality Manager NE, Skills for Care.

 

The presentation from Northumbria University would cover, current levels of access from under-represented groups, outreach activities, developing employability skills, alternative routes into higher education – foundation years and degree apprenticeships, employer engagement, employment and student enterprise.

 

The University advised the Committee that the Office for Fair Access have insisted that all universities must put in place an access and participation plan.  Office for Fair Access have highlighted who universities need to look at as target groups, including students from local HE Participation areas, those estranged from their families, carers and military families.

 

Currently the percentage of students at Northumbria from low participation neighbourhoods is at 19% against a target of 21%.  Nearly 20% of undergraduates are mature students.

 

The university run various outreach programmes, pre-16 programmes (Junior Evolve) (usually age 10 onwards) and post-16 programmes (Evolve).  The programme includes working with schools and creating sustained engagement with the University to develop confidence in applying to University and raising aspirations.  There have been 10,256 beneficiaries in the pre-16 programme.  The University have a Supported Entry Scheme, 103 schools are engaged in this with 1060 applications received.  Successful students earn NU entry points through participation in outreach activity and NU accepts these equivalent to UCAS tariff point.  Northumbria University have retention rates above 90% above all categories, with award winning Student Support and Wellbeing service.

 

Some of the outreach activities the University undertakes include

 

·         Evolve – a programme of workshops for Year 12-13, delivered in schools or on campus.  These include sessions on surviving sixth form, and the application process to high education, making the most out of university and ‘choose Northumbria’.

·         Junior Evolve – Years 5 – 11, these sessions cover awareness raising, understanding the breadth of subjects offered, study skills, meeting current students and some subject specific workshops in maths, science and English.

·         NU Entry – Year 12, participants gain up to 15 entry points through skills development such as communication, personal enterprise, teamwork, research and analysis.

 

The university also have an aim to focus on employability skills –

 

·         Careers employability award – an online tool for all students with seven programmes focusing on a range of attributes, skills, strengths and achievements to transform levels of employability

o   Self-awareness, workplace skills, career possibilities, job hunting, CVs and applications, Interview and offers and preparing for work.

o   Accompanying resources students can access employer advice, podcasts, placement opportunities and volunteering.

·         Degree content- informed by employers and accrediting bodies

·         Northumbria Employability Framework – programmes have to reflect the development of:

o   Personal and professional skills

o   Career development learning opportunities

o   Employer engagement – work placements, internships, live employer briefs/projects, simulations, volunteering.

 

The University offer Degree apprenticeships, where the learner is employed full time in a company and spend one day per week at the University.  The University also offer foundation years, which is a year of study at the start of a university course, this prepares the student for a degree programme, it is an alternative entry route which needs lower UCAS tariff points), for example 80 UCAS for science, regular entry is 120-10 UCAS points.  This provides students with the chance to experience university-style teaching and gain study skills to make undergraduate study easier.

 

The university works hard with employers to help with skills development, lots of companies don’t have in-house research and if they are working with Universities they can tap into the funding stream.

 

The University have been operating a Student and Graduate Enterprise Scheme since 2004, this service supports all current and recent graduates who wish to launch an enterprise.  Northumbria University are the 1^st in the UK and has been for 4 out of the last 5 years.  Currently active businesses are generating £83m turnover per annum, with the creation of 1100 jobs.  Annually there are typically 30 start ups per year.  The areas of support offered by the University include:

 

·         Hatchery – accommodation offered rent free for up to 12 months, including basic IT, telephone, Pre-start and early trading businesses.

·         Mentoring – specialised areas such as sales, marketing, PR, finance, UX & Service Design, Business Growth &IP/legal issues.

 

Graduates into Gateshead which is incubation space offered to graduates in Council business centres.  The deal offered is dependent on stage of business, length of trading etc, 29 businesses have been placed in total 5 have stayed with Gateshead for a longer period.

 

The Committee also heard from Peter Northrop, Locality Manager, Skills for Care.

 

The Committee were advised that in Gateshead there are currently 6100 jobs in adult social care split between local authorities (13%), independent sector providers (79%) and jobs for direct payment recipients (9%).  The adult social care workforce in the North East has grown by 9% since 2012.  If it is to meet predicted demand it needs to increase by another 33% by 2035.  For Gateshead that equates to anther 2013 jobs.

 

In Gateshead 7.3% of roles in adult social care were vacant, this equates to around 400 vacancies at any one time.  26% (1600 people) of the workforce are 55 years of age or over and may retire in the next 10 years.  Whilst only 10% (610) are under 24 years of age.  Without those 2413 jobs being filled will family, friends receive the care they need.

Adult social care is for people who are vulnerable or disadvantaged, older people, physically disabled, have mental health problems, those who have a learning disability or have alcohol or drug related problems.  Social care can happen in a person’s own home, in a small community setting (extra care housing), at a day centre, in a residential home, in a nursing home.

 

Adult social care is a great opportunity for jobs, there are lots of different choices, from direct care roles (personal assistant or carer) or roles that support the care service (admin, cleaning, catering, activities organiser, estates, nurse, nurse associate, social worker, occupational therapist, manager, HR, workforce development).  It is also an area of work which is able to accommodate someone with no formal qualifications or someone with a masters degree.  It is an area which is able to offer training, career development and progression and is flexible in terms of part time, full time or shift work.

 

It is a career which offers job satisfaction, good long term employment prospects, good training leading to recognised qualifications and career progression it offers the chance to make a difference to peoples lives and it is a job where everyday is different.

 

The Committee were advised that Adult Social Care staff turnover in Gateshead was 21.5% in 2017/18, however, 80% of recruits came from within the sector.  The Committee were advised that Gateshead has an experienced core of workers with an average of 8.9 of years of experience in the sector and 71% have worked in the sector for at least three years.  Adult Social Care contributed £1.7 to £2 billion to the North East economy in 2017/18, almost of this was in wages.  Over 90% of care workers report high levels of job satisfaction.

 

It was noted that the anecdotally members of the Committee were aware that often the people who were being looked after received more money in benefits than the care worker looking after them received in wages.  It was queried how it would be easy to attract people into the sector when the wages were so poor.  It was noted that those working in the sector report high levels of satisfaction and stay in the job on average 9 years.

 

It was suggested that this is not just an option for people with no qualifications but that the area needs to be more attractive to those of a younger age as a career choice.

 

It was suggested that presentations should be taken into schools, it was noted that there are colleagues from Skills for Care who go into schools. 

 

It was suggested that as a consumer we should start demanding more, for example, if someone is paying £800 per week for a care home and there are only 3 staff on a night time we should be looking elsewhere.  It was suggested that the Council look at travel time being paid when contracts are being commissioned.

 

RESOLVED -  That the information contained within the presentations be noted.