The Natural Infrastructure and Growth Scrutiny Panel met to discuss the Skills Pillar of the Plymouth Economic Strategy, as well as review their work programme and action log. The committee noted the report on the Skills Pillar, which highlighted the need for skilled workers in Plymouth and the initiatives in place to address this. The panel also noted the updated work programme and action log.

Skills Pillar of the Plymouth Economic Strategy

The committee reviewed a report on the Skills Pillar of the Plymouth Economic Strategy, which was introduced by Councillor Sally Cresswell (Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Apprenticeships). The report highlighted that the Skills Pillar underpins the four other pillars of the Plymouth Economic Strategy: Productive Growth and High Value Jobs, Sustainable Growth, Civic Pride and Regeneration, and Inclusive Growth. The report recommended that the committee note the continued focus on skills as a key element of the Plymouth Economic Strategy, and the committee agreed to this recommendation.

The report noted that Plymouth City Council (PCC) forecasting, reinforced by commissioned research by Stantec, shows a growing gap between local jobs and the local workforce, estimating that an extra 15,000 workers will be needed in the city over the next 10 years to meet labour demands.

The report also highlighted several initiatives and progress made in addressing skills challenges in Plymouth, including:

• The continued growth of Skills Launchpad Plymouth (SLP), which has had over 60,000 unique visitors to the online website since 2022. Since its creation in 2020, SLP have supported 989 young people and 911 adults furthest from the labour market, of which 484 have entered employment and 351 into training.
• The establishment of the Unlocking Plymouth Potential, young people Seeking Employment, Education or Training (SEET) plan, which has helped to reduce the rate of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) from 10% to 4% over the last few years.
• The growth of SEN provision for post-16 students in mainstream settings by 37% in a year, to enable greater access to skills provision.
• The closure of the gap between Plymouth and England-average in both GSCEs and A level attainment rates.

The report also noted that a new workforce programme called Connect to Work, delivered by clusters of Local Authorities and funded by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), will be coming to Plymouth. The programme will support disabled people, those with health conditions and people with complex barriers to employment, to find sustainable work, by offering them voluntary support based on high fidelity supported employment¹. Plymouth is part of the Delivery Area which consists of Torbay Council and Plymouth City Council with Devon County Council as the Lead Accountable Body. Plymouth's allocation of funding will support approximately 2,100 participants over the 5 years of the programme.

Work Programme

The committee discussed its work programme, as detailed in the Growth Scrutiny Work Programme 2025-26. The work programme is a live document and subject to change at short notice.

Action Log

The committee reviewed the action log, as detailed in the Growth Scrutiny Action Log 25-26. Hannah Chandler-Whiting (Democratic Advisor) advised that since publication, information had been circulated to panel members regarding PASDF support for SMEs through partnerships and skills programmes, completing that action.