PROGRESSION PRACTITIONERS NETWORK
The Progression Forum communicates with an extensive network of practitioners and volunteers who work with young people across the city around the themes of learning and employment. Currently this network practitioners primarily includes those working with young people who are:
- becoming disengaged in year 10/11
- involved in post-16 learning and/ or employment
- NEET or in danger of becoming so
This network promotes the diverse and extensive range of learning, support and employment that exists locally. through the network practitioners are encouraged to collaborate on activity aimed at engaging, supporting and helping young people explore their future options and in turn assisting them to progress successfully into learning and/ or employment. An email network and Facebook page promotes local learning, support and employment opportunities on practically a daily basis. The Facebook page entitled ‘Newcastle Progression Practitioners’ To utilise the email network or Facebook page information on current events and activity can be sent to email address- Progressionpractitioners@outlook.com
NEWCASTLE FUND SPONSORS WORK AIMED AT REDUCING NEET
The Council’s Newcastle Fund is sponsoring two projects this year aimed at engaging young people and helping them to explore and progress into learning and/or employment. Newcastle UXL and AM/PM are already promoting their work and supporting young people:
Newcastle UXL ‘Future Focus’ is offering very personalised local support to young people that is helping them understand, visit and try out local learning activity prior to making the commitment. Visit the Newcastle UXL Facebook site for regular updates on the work of ‘Future Focus’.
ABC is offering ‘Time to Transform’ two week Boot Camp the first of which will begin on 1st August 2016. For further details contact AM/PM:
Email -info@ampm247.co.uk
Tel 0191 2424892
visit www.ampm247.co.uk
NEW NEET ESF PROGRAMME
Congratulations to Newcastle College Group (NCG) who have secured the latest contract to deliver the Skills Funding Agency NEET programme, which is funded through European Social Funding. Learning and support activities will be delivered across Northumberland, North Tyneside, Newcastle, Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland and County Durham through NCG and a network of providers. Local authorities will be working with NCG to ensure the provision is targeted where it is needed most.
GATSBY BENCHMARKING PILOT
Two of Newcastle’s secondary schools/academies are benefitting from their involvement in the national Gatsby Benchmarking Pilot for good careers guidance that is taking place in the North East. Excelsior Academy and Kenton School are part of the pilot, which is based on eight benchmarks that have been established through national research. Schools that are part of the pilot have the opportunity to self assess against the benchmarks and then are assisted in making improvements to careers guidance that ensures young people have rich and meaningful experiences aimed at helping them make informed choices about their future.
For further details of the Gatsby pilot see attached link:
http://www.gatsby.org.uk/uploads/education/reports/pdf/gatsbygoodcareerguidance8pagea5.pdf
ENTERPRISE ADVISER NETWORK
The North East Local Enterprise Partnership area is now part of a national initiative that is aimed at creating powerful, lasting connections between local businesses and the schools and colleges in their area. The Enterprise Adviser Network is encouraging volunteers drawn from businesses to work directly with school leadership teams on developing effective employer engagement plans. The volunteers known as Enterprise Advisers will work with other local businesses to equip young people with the skills they need.
For further details see the attached link:
https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/enterprise-adviser-network
MOST IMPROVED LOCAL AUTHORITY FOR NEET
The government’s new national NEET scorecard, which measures how well local authority areas are performing in terms of young people Not in Education, Employment and/or Training shows that Newcastle was the most improved area in the country between December 2013 and December 2014.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/scorecards-launched-to-help-councils-reduce-young-people-neet
However, like most local authorities across the North East Newcastle still has high numbers of young people who are NEET.
SUCCESSFUL END TO LOCAL NEET PROGRAMME
Newcastle has recently been part of a programme of activity aimed at engaging and supporting young people who are Not in Education, Employment and/or Training (NEET). The programme sponsored through European Social Funding (ESF) has involved all seven of the northernmost local authorities in the North East and has been delivered through a range of partner organisations. Over two hundred young people took part in the programme with around 80% progressing into more mainstream learning programmes and/or employment. The programme has supported many young people with more specialised needs through activities for teenage parents, mentoring for looked after children and targeted transition work with disengaged individuals coming to the end of Year 11.
Partner organisations have had the opportunity to try out approaches to engagement, support and delivery of learning that many are hoping to sustain through other funding sources. The partnership is hoping to maintain and develop its work should it be successful with a future proposal that will hopefully be submitted for the new round of ESF funding expected to be launched in the latter part of 2015.
EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT FRAMEWORK
The Newcastle Learning Challenge instigated by the City Council and which has involved many high profile and quite diverse organisations has published a report (see link below) which sets out a series of recommendations aimed at narrowing the attainment gap and maximising the employment potential of young people. One of the key recommendations has charged the Progression Forum with leading on:
‘strengthening school-employer engagement in the city. This should include development of a school employer engagement framework, ensuring that disadvantaged children benefit from the opportunities it provides. this should be accompanied by a campaign to encourage more employers in the city to offer opportunities to young people to develop employability, skills and gain experience of the workplace’.
The Forum’s meeting in August did some initial work on planning and developing the framework.
MORE YOUNG PEOPLE IN APPRENTICESHIP AND OTHER FORMS OF EMPLOYEMNT
In June 2015 just over 1400 young people aged sixteen to eighteen were in some form of employment with 650 of those in apprenticeships. This is a significant improvement from June 2013 when 1160 young people in the same age group were in employment and only 360 in apprenticeships. The evidence of why numbers in employment and apprenticeship in particular, have increased is limited at this stage, but it is believed that the improving economic position is clearly having an impact. However, initiatives such as the Council sponsored Apprenticeships Plus and Wellbeing Apprenticeship initiatives are clearly helping more Newcastle young people to enter apprenticeships and other employment opportunities with training. The two Council led initiatives offer support to employers with recruitment and arrangements for training. The support can also include a negotiated salary subsidy for small to medium sized local businesses. For details of the Apprenticeship Plus and Wellbeing Apprenticeship initiatives contact Elaine Withycombe from the Council’s City Learning Team (Elaine.withycombe@Newcastle.gov.uk)
ANALYSIS OF NEET / UNKOWN DATA (JUNE 2015)
An analysis of data held by the local authority for June 2015 shows that the nature of NEET young people aged sixteen to eighteen across the city is becoming increasingly specialised. Whilst the numbers of individuals that are NEET and Unknown have been falling over the last couple of years the proportion of those with more specialised needs has increased. Analysis shows that of those who are NEET:
- 46% are aged eighteen or over
- 59% have been NEET for seven months or more
- 47% come from the most deprived areas of the city
- 19.4% are teenage parents
- 4.5% are pregnant
- 10.3% have been subjected to the care system
- 11.1% have some form of learning difficulty and / or disability
The above characteristics demonstrate a clear need for increased levels of specialist engagement. support, learning and employment activities.
PRINCESS EUGENIE MEETS NEWCASTLE SCHOOL CHILDREN
Princess Eugenie of York returned to the North East on Friday 16th October 2015 as part of the Primary Inspiration through Enterprise (PIE) Project.
Children from five schools in Newcastle’s east end have taken part in the project, which has helped them develop their business skills by taking over a local shop, selling items they designed and made.
School governors and staff set up the PIE project with help from local businesses.
Staff and children from Tyne View Primary School were among those who met the Princess to speak about the positive impact the PIE project had.
Steve Gittins, headteacher at Tyne View Primary School, said: “It was a great honour to have Her Royal Highness visit the school.
“The children have all been very excited and looked forward to showcasing their talents and meeting royalty.
“This visit is a testament to the hard-work and effort of the all the pupils involved and they should be very proud of themselves and the positive impact it has had in the community.
“We would also like to thank everyone who has been involved – pupils, staff, businesses and members of the community – who have pulled together to ensure that this enterprise is a great success.
“By working together, we can ensure that the children have the skills, drive and confidence for entering the workplace and improving their employability.”
Along with Tyne View the princess met pupils from Walkergate Primary School, West Walker Primary School, Central Walker and Benfield School.
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/
DETAILED NEET ANALYSIS DEMONSTRATES NEED FOR MORE SPECIALISED PROVISION (OCTOBER 2015)
Recent analysis work undertaken by Newcastle City Council shows that significant numbers of local young people aged 16-18 who are Not in Education, Employment and/or Training (NEET) have specialised needs. Arrangements are being made for a further study to be carried out that will try to identify some of the current learning and support that is successfully helping young people in such circumstances to progress. The study will also identify some of the challenges that need to be tackled if we are to further help individuals engage, develop skills and move into appropriate learning and/or employment.
Draft NEET analysis:
NATIONAL DESTINATION DATA PUBLISHED
New national figures show rise in young people at GCSE and A level stages continuing in education, training or employment. Between 2012 to 2013 and 2013 to 2014, the proportion of students going into education, training or employment after A level or similar qualifications rose by 2 percentage points – the equivalent of around 18,000 people.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/thousands-more-young-people-working-or-learning-after-16