Staying in learning - support for young people who are not participating (NEET)

It is government policy that all young people must stay in some form of education until their 18th birthday. However, staying in learning does not mean that young people must stay in school; the school leaving age has not changed.

A young person can choose from the following options:

• An apprenticeship – where you can earn and learn
• Full-time education – this can be at a Further Education College, Sixth Form College or School Sixth Form
• A young person also has the option to become employed, self-employed or take a voluntary job for 20 hours or more a week, but this will need to be combined with part-time education or training for one day per week.

Local Authorities are required to collect information from schools, colleges and training providers about young people’s activity post 16 and report to the Department for Education (DfE), on a monthly basis. This enables LAs to identify anyone who is not engaged in any form of education, employment or training (NEET) and to provide appropriate support to help them to re-engage.

Changes in reporting: From 1 September 2016, The DfE removed the requirement for local authorities to submit information about academic age 18 and 19 year olds (Year 14). LAs are now only required to submit information about academic age 16 and 17 years olds (Year 12 and Year 13).

Changes to the NEETs Scorecard: The DfE has also introduced a new headline measure which combines the proportion of young people who are NEET with the proportion of young people whose activity is ‘not known’.

Since May last year Prospects has been delivering the targeted NEET support service on behalf of Warwickshire County Council. Their focus is on supporting young people who have not made a smooth transition from Year 11 to the next stage of their education, employment or training and those who have dropped out of Year 12 and Year 13 education or training.

Prospects deliver services at outreach locations including: Coleshill Hub, The Town Hall, High Street, Coleshill; Bedworth Library; North Warwickshire Borough Council Offices; C.H.E.S.S Centre Nuneaton; Hatters Space, Nuneaton; Nuneaton Library; Lillington Youth Centre Leamington Spa; The Gap Warwick; Tyler House Stratford; Hill Street Youth and Community Centre Rugby, Alcester Library.

Prospects Advisers will also always arrange to see a young person at a convenient local venue if they cannot get to any of the regular venues.

Advisers have been in touch with 7,997 young people since May last year, some contacts have been brief and include tracking contacts to establish the status of the young person, others have been in-depth with ongoing support to help the individual move into Education, Employment or Training.

Definitions:

Key deadlines for Key Stage 4 destination performance measures

** This article contains key dates for schools regarding Key Stage 4 destination performance measures (the percentage of students staying in education or employment after Key Stage 4 (destinations)

In order to ensure that the data Prospects produces on behalf of the LA is as accurate as possible, Prospects need the support of all secondary and special schools. Prospects have allocated one of their advisers to act as a link for each school to improve communication and data sharing.

A detailed timetable will be sent from marie.connolly@prospects.co.uk to all nominated secondary and special school data contacts, which sets out the information required from schools (Sarah Bradwell will also forward onto all secondary and special headteachers for information). Below are the headline dates and deadlines:

Y11 & Y12 Cohort Checks

In January, Prospects sent each secondary school a spreadsheet containing the names and contact details of all the students that the school Census identifies as being at that school. Schools should check the details as soon as they are able Identifying those no longer at the school, adding the full details of anyone studying in Y11 or Y12 who have been missed from the list;  updating any details that may be missing or inaccurate such as addresses, missing phone numbers or email addresses. Final deadline for return: Friday 31 March

Y11 & Y12 Final Cohort Confirmation

In early April each school will be sent a final cohort check, this will allow a final cross-check of data from all schools. Final deadline for return: Friday 28 April

Y11 Intended Destinations

On the same spreadsheet as the cohort checks, there will be a column allowing each school to record the intentions of each student after completing Year 11. Final deadline for return: Friday 28 April

Y11 & Y12 Offers of Learning

The offer of learning is a single column that appears on the cohort checks spreadsheet. Final deadline for return: Friday 1 September

Y12 & Y13 Enrolments

A list of the new Year 12 and Year 13 students. ULN, name, DOB, address, postcode, phone Number, mobile number. Final deadline for return:  Friday 15 September

Previous Y11&12 Students Destinations

During the first two weeks of September 2017, each school will be sent a list of their previous Year 11 and 12 students with four empty columns allowing for the recording of new destinations. The spreadsheet should be returned as soon as each school has obtained a significant number of destinations or at the end of each month. This will then allow Prospects to update our database, add any additional destinations that we have obtained through our network of advisors and data streams. Final deadline for return: Friday 22 December

Interim Annual Activity Survey Report

From November 20117 to December 2017 Prospects will send each school a summary of Year 11 destinations First version: Friday 8 December. Second version: Friday 12 January

Final Annual Activity Survey Report

National statistics close at the end of January 2018, during the first week of February 2018 Prospects will send each school a final summary document as well as a final list of destinations.

Local contact:

Karen Allen
Operations Manager Coventry & Warwickshire
Mob: 07827-936247
karen.allen@prospects.co.uk

2016 Destinations

NEET (Not in Education Employment and Training)

NEET levels are similar to last year; however, the percentage of young people whose status is not known has reduced from 9.5% to 4%, which means the NEET levels are more reliable than in the past. Warwickshire compares well with the national and regional average:

Year 11 destinations

In 2016 96.6% of Year 11 pupils moved into learning and work; the table below provides more detail of the destinations young people moved into and individual school destinations information is being sent out this week.

September guarantee

99% of Warwickshire pupils in Year 11 received an offer of learning for Year 12

Free NEET and risk of NEET re-engagement activities

Warwickshire County Council is committed to reducing the number of young people who are not in any form of education, employment or training (NEET). These young people will likely be those who face multiple barriers to their participation and need a different type of offer. Many of these young people fall into recognisable groups: they may be young parents, have learning difficulties or disabilities, or a history of offending. They may already be receiving support from local services, but require a package of help aimed specifically at returning to work or learning.

No one agency can do this alone, therefore, a range of partners are working together across Warwickshire to support more young people to engage.

A directory will soon be available on-line aimed at all practitioners who have a role in supporting or working with young people. It will identify all the FREE programmes currently on offer with information about how schools, sixth forms, college and other practitioners can make referrals.

The grid in this link identifies some of the NEET re-engagement activities taking place across the county.

For further information please contact Sarah Bradwell, Schools and Settings Partnerships Manager. Email: sarahbradwell@warwickshire.gov.uk

Skills for Employment update

Grant opportunities to be announced at Skills Conference

The third Warwickshire Skills conference for business and education leaders takes place on 13 March at Chesford Grange Hotel near Leamington Spa.  Some of the thousands of learners who benefitted from the Skills for Employment programme in the past two years will describe the impact on their lives. The University of Derby will reveal a new model to quantify the economic benefits careers and employability activity provides to individuals, businesses and the wider economy. Delegates will discuss what more could be done to help education providers respond to local skills shortages.

Details of new grant opportunities in 2017 for schools, colleges and education/business partnerships will be announced at the conference and will appear in the 5 April edition of Heads Up.

Grants worth more than £1 million awarded

Grants worth more than £1 million were awarded in 2015-2016. Conference delegates will receive a new booklet which summarises the grants individual schools, colleges and partnerships have received and the careers support provided to young people with the funding.  A digital version of the booklet can be obtained from 14 March by emailing a request to skillsforemployment@warwickshire.gov.uk

Free Skills Conference bookings can be made here until noon on 9 March:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/skills-conference-2017-warwickshire-tickets-30948331292

Job Centre Plus careers support for schools

Jobcentre Plus (JCP) Support for Schools is a government funded initiative launched in January 2016. It aims to inspire young people, teachers and parents to think about the world of work and informs them of the huge range of opportunities now available.  It also supports students in their transition from school to work, training or further study and offers access to the Jobcentre Plus network of employers and expert advice on the local labour market and employer expectations.

This support is focused particularly on young people at risk of becoming NEET or otherwise disadvantaged in the labour market, for example those with a health or disability issue.

JCP School Advisers can provide support to schools and young people (Years 8-13) covering areas such as:

• Route into apprenticeships and traineeships: advice on opportunities and how applications should be made.
• Work experience: Jobcentre Plus has a large and well-established network of employers.  School Advisers can support schools by finding work experience opportunities. They also provide advice and support for schools wanting to hold careers events, jobs fairs, employer days or visits to work places.
• Local labour market knowledge: School Advisers can provide information on which employers are recruiting; the skills that employers value and modules on CV writing, interview skills, on-line presence, career pathways etc..

The Warwickshire School adviser is Akhil Chawla email Akhil.Chawla@dwp.gsi.gov.uk or call Akhil on 07502014438 or Clare on 07585882180

WCC Apprenticeships and Work Experience

Warwickshire County Council provides a top class apprenticeship scheme – we are very proud to be one of only three local authorities nationwide named as one of the National Apprenticeships Service’s Top 100 Apprentice Employers, and we were also nominated for Best Apprenticeship Scheme at the 2014 Training Journal Awards, the 2015 PPMA Excellence in People Management Awards, and the 2016 CIPD Awards.

A Warwickshire apprentice is always guaranteed a genuine job role in a supportive working environment, where they will 'earn and learn' in service areas that provide real experience in specific professional sectors. These include Social Care, Civil Engineering, Environmental Conservation, IT, Accountancy, Project Management, Vehicle Maintenance and more – few other local employers can offer such a diverse range of vocational pathways that launch careers!

Along with employing, mentoring and supporting our apprentices, we also link with a college or training provider to deliver the qualification and off the job learning of the apprenticeship. We always link with a provider who we know and trust to deliver excellent training for our learners and who have a proven track record of delivering apprenticeships in specific sectors.

The Council doesn’t recruit apprentices just to deliver apprenticeships and job opportunities to school leavers – we do it to train our employees of the future. We endeavour to ensure that every apprentice we take on completes their apprenticeship and is retained wherever possible. Since September 2012, Warwickshire County Council has recruited 142 apprentices. Of those that have now completed their apprenticeships, 70% have been retained within the council and a further 23% have gone into employment elsewhere or gone on to study further at university. Currently there are 62 young people on apprenticeships within the county council.

Warwickshire also offers a work experience placement scheme; open to all who seek work experience as part of school, college, or simply to boost their CV. Most of our service areas offer work experience placements, and anyone who is interested in doing work experience with WCC need only look at our brochure and tell us where in the council they’d like to gain some experience. We will then seek to create a placement in that service area.

 

Support for schools recruiting apprentices

The Apprenticeship Hub at Warwickshire County Council will be happy to support you and your school with advice and information about apprenticeships and the apprenticeship levy*. We can help you to choose a training provider, promote your apprenticeship vacancies, and for those schools who are part of the WCC levy, enable you to pay for apprenticeship training through the Digital Apprenticeship Service.

(*More information about the apprenticeship levy can be found in the February issue of Heads Up)

Before recruiting an apprentice, it is important that you are engaged with a training provider who will provide the apprenticeship training for your apprentice once they are in post. The provider will support you with the recruitment of the apprentice by advertising the role for you, and some providers even assess the candidates for you if you prefer that. The Apprenticeship Hub can help you to choose a provider. We have engaged with a large number of providers in the Warwickshire sub-region and in many cases used their services for apprenticeships at WCC, so we are able to provide a balanced view on who you can benefit from engaging with for apprenticeship delivery.

For more information about apprenticeships or work experience with Warwickshire County Council, call 01926 418040 or email apprentice@warwickshire.gov.uk.