1. 11:30–12:30
Breakout 15
What works – sifting the exceptional from the ordinary: Localism and Youth Employment
Speakers: Nicola Aylward, Project Officer, NIACE, Kevin Rodger, Policy Manager Skills for the Future, Suffolk County Council, Alex Howley, Head of Youth Initiatives, New Economy and Adele Reynolds, PA and Projects officer, New economy investigate some imaginative local responses that are having evidenced impact and discuss
their scalability and how they might work in other localities.

2. Localism and Youth Employment: A Greater Manchester perspective
Alex Howley, Head of Youth Initatives, New Economy Adele Reynolds, Youth Employment Policy Officer, New Economy
14th May 2014

3. Today Greater Manchester’s youth labour market
The case for local solutions
Greater Manchester’s response to youth unemployment
Scalability of the Greater Manchester approach

4. Greater Manchester’s Youth Labour Market
GM’s Youth JSA claimants have declined significantly over the past year.
Welfare reform including the tightening of eligibility criteria for claiming JSA and increased use of sanctions account for part of the fall
The rate of ILO youth unemployment remains stubbornly high at over 20%.
Long term youth unemployment is reducing faster in GM (-44%) than the UK (-37%) since the peak in September 2012 but there are still 4860 Youth JSA claimants who have been claiming for over 6 months

5. Under 25s don’t just claim JSA .....

6. The case for local solutions
One GM Strategy – twin pillars of ‘growth’ and ‘reform’
Co-ordinated approach based on evidence of ‘what works’ and detailed knowledge of our local labour market
Synergy of GM funded and mainstream programmes so that young people get right support at right time
Governance and Partnership working have been key – a mandate to act and co-production of solutions
Impact? JSA claimants have declined by 36% in Greater Manchester compared to March 2013

7. Governance and Partnership
Greater Manchester Skills and Employment Partnership: voluntary collaboration of employers, providers, local authorities and government agencies
Works on behalf of LEP and GM Combined Authority – Strategy Group and Programme Board
In response to Greater Manchester Strategy – programme to prevent and reduce youth unemployment.
Identification of key youth labour market challenges
Evidence based targets of where we want to be by 2020
Programme of activity to respond to local priorities/gaps
Aims to influence mainstream provision so that young people gain the skills and experience employers seek

8. What works?
GM programmes to respond to youth unemployment are based on evidence of ‘what works’ which includes:
Access to quality work experience
Young person-friendly recruitment and selection practices
Good quality employer engagement with schools and colleges
Guaranteed jobs with training and intensive support for those who are very unlikely to get a job
Good advice to enable young people to access the right support / courses at the right time
Young people’s active participation/engagement in support – not being ‘done to’ (e.g. personalised budgets)
Alex

9. How is Greater Manchester responding to the key youth labour market issues?
Young unemployed with little or no work experience
GM Commitment – 6 month jobs with training for year olds.
Talent Match – BIG Lottery programme for long term unemployed year olds – personal coaches, intensive support
Youth Contract – GM programme for long term unemployed year olds – personal coaches, personalised budgets.
Young unemployed lack careers advice and guidance
GM Careers Advice and Guidance Strategy and Investment – ensuring a core offer for every young person across GM / City Deal investment.
Programme of engagement with schools
Unfilled apprenticeship vacancies
GM Apprenticeship Hub – Improved marketing of vacancies, enhanced guidance to young people, development programme for training providers

10. How might Greater Manchester’s approach work in other localities?
Governance – securing buy in from the start is key including LEP, Chief Executives and elected members
Partnership – an informed debate with key stakeholders committing to taking collective action
Funding – using flexible funding to ‘gap fund’ in response to market failure, enhancing the mainstream
Critically ….. what works is what is right for your local labour market. Is there strong evidence of local need and demand for such approaches from key stakeholders?

11. Any comments / questions?

12. Thank You e: alex.howley@neweconomymanchester.com t: w:

13. 11:30–12:30
Breakout 15
What works – sifting the exceptional from the ordinary: Localism and Youth Employment
Speakers: Nicola Aylward, Project Officer, NIACE, Kevin Rodger, Policy Manager Skills for the Future, Suffolk County Council, Alex Howley, Head of Youth Initiatives, New Economy and Adele Reynolds, PA and Projects officer, New economy investigate some imaginative local responses that are having evidenced impact and discuss
their scalability and how they might work in other localities.