This meeting was scheduled to include a presentation about the Hertfordshire County Council’s adult learning and training service, Step2Skills, and a review into the skills agenda in Stevenage.

Skills Review

Councillors were scheduled to review a draft report on the skills agenda in Stevenage. The report, informed by site visits to North Herts College and Airbus, Hertfordshire, included findings from discussions with local stakeholders including schools, colleges, employers, charities, and young people about how to create opportunities for local residents in growth employment sectors.

The draft report recommended:

1. The expansion of the Stevenage Works programme beyond the construction sector to include health and social care.
2. The Department for Work and Pensions, Citizens Advice, Step2Skills, Stevenage Borough Council and local employers to work together to help people access the training required to increase their skills and earning potential.
3. That Stevenage Council lobby central government to fund weekend childcare provision.
4. That North Herts College promote the new T-Levels¹ for nursery care workers.
5. That Stevenage Council lobby central government for changes to the funding model for post-16 education to reduce the competition between schools and colleges.
6. That the council promote work experience opportunities to young people and employers.
7. That the council promote successful skills initiatives more widely.
8. That North Herts College and Barnwell School be commended for their work in promoting skills.

Councillors were also scheduled to consider a report on climate change at the meeting on 12 November 2024. This is noteworthy because the published agenda for the December meeting suggests that the committee would only be considering the skills agenda at the meeting.

Step2Skills presentation

Chantel Lommel, Head of Service at Step2Skills, was scheduled to attend the meeting to speak about the organisation’s work. Councillors were expected to ask questions about:

• The support available to help people overcome barriers to employment
• The challenges faced by their clients
• Their work with local employers
• The impact of their work

Matt Partridge, Chief Executive of Stevenage Borough Council, was also expected to answer questions about his role as Deputy Chair of the Board at Step2Skills. Councillors prepared questions about:

• The challenges faced in the local employment market
• The impact of the Bedwell project
• The support provided by Stevenage Borough Council to Step2Skills clients

Councillors were also scheduled to discuss with Matt Partridge:

• The skills shortages in the Hertfordshire Local Skills Improvement Plan, which include Life Sciences, Advanced Engineering and Health and Social Care
• How Stevenage Borough Council can help to address these skills shortages
• The challenges faced by Stevenage Works in expanding beyond the construction sector
• Whether there was a role for Stevenage Works in developing “green skills” in areas like retrofitting, insulation, solar and heat pumps
• How to respond to the government’s plans to devolve skills and employment services, as set out in the “Getting Britain Working” white paper.