Content

9.1

The Head of Employment, Skills and
Economy, the Consultant in Public Health and the Head of Lifelong
Learning were in attendance to bring a report on integrating
skills, employment and health provision through Pathways to Work.
The report provided an overview of the linkages and integration of
employment, skills and health programmes for consideration by the
Committee when undertaking policy development.

 

 

9.2

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY:
That Economic Development, Skills and Culture Policy Committee:-
 
a)   
Note the importance of skills provision and good jobs to both the
local economy and the health and wellbeing of the city population
and pledge to support employer campaigns in
order to recruit inclusively, offer good work and enable
employees to progress in the workplace
b)   
Note the inextricable links between skills, employment and health
and endorse the collaborative, cross-portfolio approach to service
delivery adopted by Lifelong Learning, Employment, Skills &
Economy, and Public Health
c)   
Note the importance of partnership working, shared strategic goals
and longer-term funding arrangements for delivery of a simpler,
better integrated and more navigable skills, employment and health
landscape
d)   
Note the complexity of the skills, employment and health landscape
in Sheffield and ongoing efforts with regional partners to create a
simpler, better integrated and more navigable system through
Pathways to Work activity
e)   
Support the relevant services in their work by:
 
                                              
i.    
Promoting the Local Authority offer for residents in skills,
employment and health, including the newly launched Pathways to
Work Triage service for skills, employment and health referrals
                                             
ii.    
Advocating for longer-term, less prescriptive programmes in policy
and funding conversations, and
                                           
iii.    
Enabling dialogue with residents, employers and service providers
in electoral wards and communities across the city

 

 

 

 

9.3

Reasons for
Decision

 

 

9.3.1

Adoption of the recommendations will
support the ongoing, collaborative work of the Lifelong Learning,
Employment, Skills & Economy, and Public Health services and
assist efforts to improve individual and collective outcomes.
Committee support for the respective services and activity in the
skills, employment and health arena will support the successful
delivery of major programmes including the Economic Inactivity
Trailblazer and Connect to Work.

 

 

9.4

Alternatives
Considered and Rejected

 

 

9.4.1
 

Alternative Option
1: Deliver in silo / do not co-ordinate
 
The interwoven nature of skills,
employment and health means there are various points where the
remits of the respective Council services converge and there is
mutual interest in co-production and co-ordinated activity.
Operating in silo and not benefitting from others’ expertise
would prove a more costly and less effective way of designing,
commissioning and delivering Council services. With SYMCA having a
mandate from Government, through Pathways to Work funding, to
deliver system change in this arena, failing to support the
initiative would carry reputational risk.

 

 

9.4.2

Alternative Option
2: Two-way, rather than three-way, collaboration

 

 

 

In this scenario, two of the services
may work closely together (e.g. Skills and Employment, or
Employment and Health), but without involving the third. The
skills, employment and health cycle illustrates the risks of
failing to take a whole-person view when delivering support. There
are clear dependencies between skills, employment and health which
cannot be selectively considered when designing Local Authority
responses.