The December issue of the Derbyshire Compact Newsletter is now available from this web site. Look out for a summary of activity from our Chair and updates from our two working groups.

Be sure to SCROLL DOWN to locate the Newsletter section so that you can access this issue. 

The December issue of the Northamptonshire Compact Newsletter is now available from this web site. Look out for a summary of activity from our Chair and updates from our two working groups.

Be sure to SCROLL DOWN to locate the Newsletter section so that you can access this issue.

The December issue of the Lincolnshire and Rutland Compact Newsletter is now available from this web site. Look out for a summary of activity from our Chair and updates from our two working groups.

To locate the Newsletter section please go via the 'News' tab.

The L&R Public Sector Compact is staging yet another FREE event in January. This time we will be looking at the issue of Graduate Recruitment and retention. (Many thanks to Lincolnshire Enterprise for funding this event)

It is often said that there are not enough graduates working in the public sector. It is also often said that public sector organisations need to employ more young people. In Lincolnshire and Rutland we have the additional issue that many of our local under-graduates go off to find work elsewhere in the country once they have completed their degree. Employing graduates is not just a good idea - it is not as scary as you may think !
 
The Compact has identified many current initiatives that are available now and will support public sector organisations who are thinking of fishing in this talent pool. We have decided that it would be a good idea to inform professionals working in the sector of such initiatives and schemes with a view to playing a role in increasing the number of graduates employed in the sector in our two counties. Hence on the 30th January at the Admiral Rodney Hotel in Horncastle we will be hosting the "What Graduates Can Do For You" Breakfast Briefing. You can download an agenda from the 'Special Events' section of this web site.
 
Why not come along and hear more at this FREE event. There will also be an opportunity for you to ask specific questions relating to support available for organisations considering moving in this direction. To reserve a delegate place simply send an email to Chris Donkin at chris@donkinitex.co.uk and he will send you confirmation of your booking and directions to the venue.

To whet your appetite we have made available on this site a very interesting article lifted from the JC+ web site entitled 'Young workers teach old dogs new ticks'. See also the 'Special Events' section of this web site. Many thanks to Derrick Brown of JC+ for providing this link.

In the December 2008 Newsletter published by the National Council for Work Experience (NCWE) there is a very interesting article on ' The increasing importance of work experience for students'. The Newsletter is available for download from the Graduate Recruitment section within the Recruitment and Retention tab.

Many thanks to Janette Goodchild for sending this in

As we move into the third year of Compact activity in L&R it is very likely that we will seek to get the Vol Com (or third) sector more involved with our work.

Children England (formerly the National Council of Voluntary Child Care Organisations) have recently produced a report/handbook that has been designed as a resource for people with different levels of experience of consultation and of working with the third sector. The document is available for viewing and/or download by visiting the newly created Vol/Com section that is accessible via the 'Other Info' tab on the L&R page.

Many thanks to Thomasin Alsop for sending this in

Kettering General Hospital NHS Trust is the first public sector organisation in Northamptonshire (first organisation in total actually) to put an Apprenticeship vacancy on the new Apprenticeship Vacancy Matching System.

This is the LSC’s new National Apprenticeship Vacancy Matching System that goes live to interested Apprenticeship candidates on 5 January 2009.

Once again Northamptonshire leads the way ! .. congratulations to KGH for their pro-active approach.

The Sector Skills Council 'Skills for Care' have updated their Leadership and Management Strategy. With our Compact considering developing tailored L&M training it is interesting to note that this SSC has got L&M high on their agenda.

The document is available for viewing and/or downloading from the new L&M option that can be found under the Learning & Development tab on the Lincs and Rutland page.

Many thanks to Christina Begley for supplying this information.  

The UK Commission for Employment of Skills have recently produced a report to give 'Expert advice to government on simplification of the English post-compulsory skills system for employers'

The document is available for viewing and/or downloading from the 'other activity' section on the Northants page.

 Many thanks to Aidan Jackson of LLUK for making this known to the Compact 

The Job Centre Plus Local Employment Partnership Dec 08 Newsletter is now available. Please see the newsletter link on the Derbyshire page to read it and download it.

An interesting article in this publication noting the success of our recent Skills Pledge / Jobs Pldege Breakfast Briefing - also included in the edition a cracking good picture from the event.

Grantham College are hosting an evening to showcase their PCDL (Personal and Community Development Learning) programme by offering FREE tasters on Monday 12th Jan from 6pm to 9pm. Public sector employees will be welcome and it may be that this 'non qualification' learning environment is ideal for getting public sector employees back into learning - and then progressing to formal training.

To find out more phone 0800 9524004. Below is a list of the tasters available:

Intro to Health & Fitness – Learn about the differences between health and fitness, improving, nutrition & training. 

Intro to using your Video Camera – Quickly learn those tricks that will set your family videos apart from the rest, basic techniques, tips and tricks. 

Intro to Warm Glass – Would you like to be able to create your own beautiful jewellery and ornaments?  You will learn glass cutting and kiln forming. 

Intro to Felt Making – Would you like to create your own accessories to wear or give as gifts?  This will introduce you to the basic techniques in order to create 3 dimensional objects such as scarves, hats, handbags and accessories. 

Intro to Digital Camera – Create a calendar using your favourite photographs.  Download your photographs from your digital camera, image editing, memory stick to save and USB cable to connect. 

Intro to Sign Language – A basic introductory course, learning the basics of sign. 

Intro to Massage – An Introduction back and shoulder massage.  Swedish and aromatherapy techniques. 

Intro to Nails – Introduction to manicure, filing and cuticle work. Hand and arm massage. 

Secrets of the Chefs! Contemporary Fish Cookery – Introduction to preparation, cooking and presentation of modern fish cookery. 

Secrets of the Chefs! Contemporary Pastry Work – Introduction to modern techniques, dishes and presentation of pastry. 

Wine Appreciation – Introduction to the types and origins.  A guide to purchasing and storage.  Introduction to matching wine with menu items. 

Intro to Brickwork – Cutting and rolling mortar, spreading bed joints and bricklayer’s toolkit. 

Intro to Carpentry – Correct use of tools, construction of joints, saw stool and benchwork. 

Intro to Plumbing – Cutting and bending copper pipe.  Understanding the water supply, Draining plumbing systems and waste water systems. 

Intro to eBay - If you’ve always wondered how eBay works, now’s your chance to find out. 

ESOL in the Workplace Taster –Essential workplace matters such as health & safety and customer service are covered in this course which helps to improve accuracy, efficiency and effectiveness, communication and productivity. 

ESOL Taster – Is English your second language? If English isn't your first language and you'd like to improve your skills, this is the place to start.

The NHS  have very kindly provided the Compact with an exemplar Skills Pledge Action Plan. Although it has been designed for use with the NHS organisations it does cove all the big training issues (e.g. SfL, access to NVQs, specialised vocational training etc) and hence can be used as a template by most public sector organisations.

To see the exemplar and to download it please see the L&D section on the Northants page. (Please note this exemplar has been used in a NHS organisation somewhere in the East Midlands - not necessarily Northants)

The Derbyshire Public Sector Compact (PSC) held a breakfast briefing on Friday 14th November 2008 at Derby College Conference Centre to urge employers to get to grips with the Skills Pledge. 

At the briefing Mick Brown welcomed guests and kicked off the session by introducing the Skills Pledge, explaining what it is all about and how to make it work for your business.

Other organisations including Job Centre Plus, Derby Homes, Bolsover District Council, East Midlands Business and Derbyshire County Primary Care Trust each had a slot in the limelight encouraging employers to discover the benefits of Skills Pledge and Jobs Pledge for themselves.

Andy Pidluznyj of Job Centre Plus discussed ‘What the Jobs Pledge is all about and making it work for you’. ‘Signing the Jobs Pledge – Accessing Support for Recruitment’ was raised by Annabelle Barwick of Derby Homes with Angela Stansfield of Job Centre Plus.

Stuart Tomlinson of Bolsover District Council and Linda Pearson of East Midlands Business covered ‘Committing to the Skills Pledge – why we felt it was right to commit’ and Amanda Rawlings, HR Director of Derbyshire County Primary Care Trust talked passionately about ‘Committing to the Skills Pledge – the benefits we anticipate in accruing from making the Commitment’.

A plenary session explored the next steps for interested sector organisations and support available. Nigel Jackson of the LSC chaired the session with Angela Stansfield, Andy Pidluznyj, Linda Pearson and Chris Donkin (Facilitation Support for the Compact) all answering questions from the floor.

Over 40 delegates attended the session with 18 different sector organisations giving a clear indication that they want to pursue their interest. The PSC is now working with East Midlands Business to ensure that those organisations who have demonstrated their enthusiasm will now ‘sign up’ to the Skills Pledge.

The key messages from this event are available for download from the Skills Pledge section of the Derbyshire web page

On Thursday the 20th November, the Compact Facilitator gave a presentation to the NTDP membersship at their AGM.

The presentation (and the subsequent Q and As) gave a clear indication that the NTDP membership are enthuisatic about supporting the Compact to achieve it's goals - particularly around the issue of increasing the number of Apprentices in the sector.

The presentation is available for download from the 'other activity' section on the Northants web page.

The University of Northampton have kindly agreed to share their 'Partner and Volunteer Placement Profile' with Compact members.

This approach involves asking Vol-Com organisations to provide deatils of what sort of volunteer support they can provide and also records any issues relating to potential constraints (e.g. CRB checks, working accommodation etc) that need to be considered.

The University's approach may be of interest to other sector organisations. To download the 'Partner and Volunteer Placement Profile' document please see the 'other activity' section on the Northants page.

The LSC have recently produced two short reports that will help us to promote Apprentices in the Public Sector.

The Executive Summary of the 'Expanding Apprenticeships in the Public Sector' describes how we can overcome the barriers to increasing apprenticeships and how what the LSC can do to promote the increased take up.

The other report is a short guide for public sector employers.

Both of these documents are available for download from the 'Promoting Apprenticships' link on the R&R section of the Northamptonshire page of this web site.

On the 26th November the Department for Work and Pensions are offering free 'How to Employ Ability' workshops at the Petwood Hotel in Woodhall Spa - from 9 am to 12.45

At the event you will have the opportunity to:

Improve your confidence in recruiting and retaining disabled staff

Meet businesses who already employ disabled people

Find out what support is available and meet the Jobcentre Plus team in your area

Improve your understanding of the legal context and theDisability Discrimination Act (DDA)

All delegates will receive copies of practical, easy to digest guidance,including material from the Employers’ Forum on Disability and SHiFT.

So don’t miss out on the talent disabled people have to offer your business.

To register, please e-mail your details to Sue Bale at lincoln.employerengagement@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk

The LSC have recently produced two short reports that will help us to promote Apprentices in the Public Sector.

The Executive Summary of the 'Expanding Apprenticeships in the Public Sector' describes how we can overcome the barriers to increasing apprenticeships and how what the LSC can do to promote the increased take up.

The other report is a short guide for public sector employers.

Both of these documents are available for download from the 'Promoting Apprenticships' section on the Lincs and Rutland page of this web site.

One of the most visited pages on this web site is the 'vacancies' page. We now have a distinct URL for this page. It can be accessed directly by visiting www.publicservicejobs.org.uk

 To advise people of the variety of jobs available from this platform the Compact has created a flyer that can be downloaded, printed and used at Recruitment Events.

Visit the Career Opportunities section of the Lincs and Rutland site to view it.

At the Skills Pledge Breakfast Briefing delegates were asked to identify any potential barriers to committing to the Pledge ... and ... provide solutions as to how to overcome these perceived barriers.

 This feedback has now been processed and is available for download from the 'Other Documents' section of this web site ..

 Some very ineteresting comments !

The Skills Pledge Breakast Briefing held at the Sunley Management Centre has been adjudged to have been a great success. The evaluations reveal that the delegates considered all aspects of the event as either 'outsanding' or 'good' and that their expectations were fully met.

 The Compact will be working with the LSC and East Midlands Business to follow up the enthusiasm that was generated.

Pictures from the event are available in the 'other activity' section of the Northants web page - scroll down to see if necessary.

On Monday 27 October, DIUS and DCSF are hosting a summit for public sector leaders to launch the drive to increase apprentices working in the public sector.

Secretaries of State: Rt Hon Ed Balls MP and Rt Hon John Denham MP will be setting out their vision for Apprenticeships in the public sector to key decision makers and opinion formers, from the NHS, Local Government, Education and the Criminal Justice Sector.

Their vision will include the setting of a level of ambition for the number of Apprenticeship starts in the public sector to a level comparable to the private sector; and will provide a call to action to the delegates, many of whom are public sector employers nominated by regional LSC colleagues to work with us to champion Apprenticeships and galvanise activity across the public sector.

The summit will also be the formal launch of the Civil Service Pathfinder, which will provide over 500 Apprenticeship places in the Civil Service and provide an opportunity to showcase best practice across the public sector, to hear about barriers which may be preventing take-up, and ways to overcome them. LSC Regional Director for the West Midlands, David Cragg, will be on a panel chaired by Ian Watmore, talking about activity within the West Midlands.

Finally, the LSC has produced some leaflets for employers on the benefits of Apprenticeships in the public sector, including case studies, and also an Executive Summary of LSC commissioned research into increasing Apprenticeships within the public sector, both of which will be distributed to delegates at the event.

The University of Northampton is holding a Graduate Recruitment Fair' on the 12th November open to all final year students and graduates from all Universities.

To download a Graduate Recruitment Brochure please go to the Other Documents section on the Northants web page.

 Many thanks to Lynn Finnof the University for this information.

Derbyshire currently have 454 employers who have agreed to participate under a Local Employment Partnership (LEP) agreement. In the first 2 week of October 33 employers have agreed to an LEP.

This is an aspect of job Centre Plus' work that the Compact seeks to support. Please see the first LEP Newsletter (from the newsletters link) and also see the agenda for the Skills Pledge / Jobs Pledge Breakfast Briefing in the 'Skills Pledge' section.

On the 14th November at Derby College Conference Centre the Compact will host the 'Derbyshire Public Sector Skills Pledge / Jobs Pledge Breakfast Briefing'. Please see the agenda for this FREE event in the Skills Pledge Group section of the web site.

To book a delegate place - please simply email Chris Donkin at chris@donkinitex.co.uk

An Event for strategic and operational staff from regeneration, commissioning and planning backgrounds - at Clumber Park Hotel Nottinghamshire on 12th November 2008.

 For full details of this event please visit: www.esballiance.co.uk/newsletter/invitation.html 

The Public Sector Compact aims to provide opportunities for professionals in the sector to shadow fellow professionals working in the sector for a day or a half day.

We set up a data base of volunteers who have agreed to be shadowed about a month ago. Recently Karen Sanders (the HR Senior Manager at Moulton College) has added her name to our list.

To see the full list see the 'shadowing opportunities' page in the Northants section of the site. Many thanks to Karen for this contribution.

What’s Happening with Employer Engagement in Northamptonshire?

Members of Northamptonshire’s 14-19 group have recently hosted two very successful joint employer engagement breakfasts. The first event held at Kettering Park Hotel was attended by over 60 people from the field of education and local business, including: Grant Thornton, Sonifex Ltd, Dawson Books, Cummins UK and Derrick Smith & Co. Delegates gave excellent feedback about this event including: “Helpful information given about the new Diplomas”, “Useful tips about how I can work with schools” and “Great to see how new qualifications are equivalent to traditional qualifications.”
One of the Keynote speakers Chris Ripper, who is a specialist in aspects of human resources and has held a variety of high profile positions with companies such as Ladbroke, Thistle Hotels and Scottish and Newcastle, gave a National overview of the new diplomas and employer engagement.

The second event was held at the Northampton ‘Saints’ Rugby club. This event was attended by over 50 professionals including companies such as Wyevale, Blue Arrow Catering, British Gas and Impressions. Paul Pritchard from JCB, one of the Keynote speakers has been with JCB since 1988 where he has until recently been Group Head of Learning and Development, heading their Corporate University. Paul is now Project Managing the JCB 14 – 19 Academy and presented an employer’s perspective of working with the school and college sector. Delegates feedback said “Good answers to myths surrounding education”, “Great opportunity to network” and “To gain a deeper understanding of how the diplomas will integrate with employers’ ‘Hearing about the new Diplomas in more detail’ ‘Understanding what steps need to be taken to make sure students have a more tailored set of skills and knowledge’.  

Philip Burch, Manager of Aimhigher Northamptonshire said that he was extremely happy with the events and the very positive feedback received from all parties.

Dates for your diary:

Follow up events for Employers who attended
one of the events at Kettering, Northampton or
Towcester will be held at Highgate House on:

Wednesday 5th November 2008
 Wednesday 28th January 2009

Aim Higher have pleasure in inviting you to their 3rd breakfast conference that will outline the way employers have shaped the new 14/19 educational reforms. As employers YOU can engage with and helpshape these exciting developments that will provide the next generation of employees. There will be opportunities to explore good practice and exchange ideas.

The Conference will take plave on Wed 1st October at Towcester Racecourse and a downloadable invite is available under the 'other documents generated by Compact activity on the Northants page.

The most recent IiP Newsletter has an interesting article on the first year of the Skills Pledge. A survey of 800 organisations has reported some very positive feedback - including the fact that over 80% of the organisations are likely to reccomend the Pledge to other organisations.

The full article is available for download from the Lincs and Rutland page by going to Other Documents housed within the 'Skills Pledge' drop down menu.

Thanks to Eryl Prentice of the LSC for supplying the newsletter.

At the last meeting of the Northants Learning and Development Theme Group meeting there was an action point established to find out if those employees who are well qualified are eligible to access free SfL training.

On behalf of the group Clare Reynolds of the LSC has provided the answer. In short, if the employee has a properly identified literacy, numeracy or ESOL need then they can access free training.

The full eligibility statement is available for download from the Learning and Development section on the Northants page. Many thanks to Clare for supplying this.

The University and the FE Colleges have worked together to produce a single list of all courses available in the county ... and there are well over 1000 different courses available many of which the sector may wish to access to support their staff development programmes.

 The full list is available for download by visiting the 'Other Documents Generated by Compact Activity' section on the Northants page. Many thanks to Alison Hope of Tresham Institute for supplying this list.

Aim Higher have pleasure in inviting you to their 3rd breakfast conference that will outline the way employers have shaped the new 14/19 educational reforms. As employers YOU can engage with and helpshape these exciting developments that will provide the next generation of employees. There will be opportunities to explore good practice and exchange ideas.

The Conference will take plave on Wed 1st October at Towcester Racecourse and a downloadable invite is available under the 'other documents generated by Compact activity on the Northants page.

The Recruitment and Retention Theme Group have been instrumental in setting up chance to experience other ways of working.

The Public Sector Compact aims to provide opportunities for professionals in the sector to shadow fellow professionals working in the sector for a day or a half day. The purpose is to allow sector employees the chance to experience other ways of working and to explore the possibility of sharing good practice

The Group called for volunteers to be 'shadowed' and thus far have received responses from:

The people who have volunteered are :

Mary McGorry the Head of Care Management and Self Directed Support at Northamptonshire County Council

Dawn Whittaker the Brigade Manager from the Northants Fire and Rescue Service

Lee Jones the Assistant Director of Educational Partnerships at the University of Northampton

Rosemary Daniel the Personell Manager from Daventry District Council

To pick up the contact details and to find out what you might observe during the 'shadowing' experience please access the shadowing Excel file from the 'Other Documents relating to Compact activity' section on the Northants page of this site

The recent meeting of the Skills Pledge Group noted an action point to: 'Examine the organisations whom have made the commitment or completed the process to gather examples of best practice'.

With reference to this a member of the group has sourced an exemplar from a large organisation giving an inication of the form of words that may be used in making the Skills Pledge committment. This document has been made available on the web site in the Skills Pledge section and can be downloaded.

Many thanks to Linda Pearson of East Midlands Business for this contribution.

The first meeting of the Skills Pledge Task Group took place in Matlock recently.

A first action plan has now been established. This can be downloaded from the Skills Pledge section on the Derbyshire page.

Also available for dowload are the minutes of their first meeting.

The main focus of the early work of the group is going to be to organise and deliver a 'Special Event' scheduled for November the 6th to give sector organisations the chance to find out more about the Leitch Skillls Pledge and to showcase some of the sector organisations based in Derbyshire who have made the commitmment 

Lancashire County Council have embedded an ambitious apprenticeship scheme that is offering long term unemployed the chance to gain valuable work experience.

Please click the link for more details of this interesting initiative:

http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=8559085

The first meeting of the Workforce Development Task Group took place in Ripley last week.

A first action plan has now been established. This can be downloaded from the Workforce Development section on the Derbyshire page.

Also available for dowload are the minutes of their first meeting.

Following the Apprenticeships Event on Wednesday, the organiser (Tracey Lucas Apea) has penned this article for the local WBL providers magazine 'NTDP Spotlight'

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Lord Digby Jones Minister of State for Trade & Investment took it away with his riveting speech to Public Sector organisations within the County.  We had originally asked local MP Sally Keeble if she could find us a quote from a minister on how important public sector Apprenticeships are. We were delighted that she came up with so much more than that!

The event was aimed at HR professionals who can make a difference to the number of Apprentices in each public sector organization was held at The Guildhall in Northampton.

Over 60 people attended the event which was sponsored by
Northampton Training & Development Partnership, Learning & Skills Council, and the Northamptonshire Public Sector Compact.

Dale Willis, Director of NTDP hosted the event on behalf of NTDP and spoke passionately about Apprenticeships and explained key information that all public sector organizations should know.  Namely, ‘How does the funding work & Who is eligible?’  Full details of the presentation can be found at:
http://www.empscompacts.org.uk/northamptonshire.asp

Delegates also heard from guest speaker Allyson Castle, Scheme Manager from the Foreign & Commonwealth Offices.  Allyson spoke of the collaboration between the organisation and training provider, Milton Keynes College who assist in managing their successful apprenticeship programme. 

Former apprentice Ed Mattacola spoke eloquently of his own experience as an apprentice and the benefits of the programme.  He now acts as a mentor for new apprentices sharing his own knowledge and experiences

In keeping with the collaborative nature of the event, it was also attended by 14 NTDP members who each spoke of the support they could offer public sector organisations and demonstrated the width and breadth of apprenticeship provision in the county.

Dale Willis, Director of NTDP closed the event by calling on all those present at the event to help bring more apprenticeships into the public sector.  This call was heeded by a number of people who pledged an interest in apprenticeships for their organisations.

A Post Apprenticeship Event Feedback meeting is scheduled in the coming weeks to plan for NTDP members to working collaboratively in taking apprenticeship uptake forward for Public Sector organisations in the County.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in making this happen.

Tracey Lucas Apea
Starting Off
01604 622855

Yesterday the Compact sponsored "Apprenticeships for the Public Sector" Event took place at The Guildhall in Northampton. Over 60 people attended and a rousing 'call to arms' was made by the Minister of State for Trade and Investment Lord Digby Jones.

This was followed by informative and inspirational presentations from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (a public sector organisation with an established Apprenticeships Programme) and Dale Willis a Director of NTDP.

Early feedback suggests that as many as 10 sector organisations may increase their apprenticeships intake as a result of attending this successful mini-conference. Many thanks go to Tracey Lucas Apea of Starting Off for her sterling work in organising this event.

The powerpoint presentations used at the event can be downloaded from the "other documents generated by Compact activity" section on the Northants page.

The Improvement and Development Agency for local government (IDeA) has created a new online Community of Practice to cover Apprenticeships in local government.  The network will form a single information site for those involved in the delivery of Apprenticeships within the local government footprint.

 Join for free now at http://www.communities.idea.gov.uk/welcome.do

There are still a few delegate places left for this event which will be allocated on a 'first come first served' basis.

The agenda for the event has recently been confirmed and the Key Note Speaker is Lord Digby Jones (The UK Skills Envoy and former Chairman of the CBI) and there will also be contributions from Sally Keeble MP, the Foreign Commonwealth Office (a sector employer with a successful Apprenticeship scheme) and Dale Willis a Director of NTDP. The agenda is action packed but concise - the event will finish at 11.00 am.

To book a place - please email Tracey Lucas-Apea (publicsector@startingoff.co.uk) .

I (Chris Donkin) am very much looking forward to attending the event personally and hope to see many of you there

At a Work Based Learning Providers briefing held last week, the LSC gave deatils of the current situation re WBL provision and their role in supporting it.

Of particular interest to Compact members may be the description of the National Apprenticeships Vacancy Matching Scheme (NAVMS). The entire presentation, including the in depth coverage of NAVMS can be downloaded by accessing the 'Other documents generated by Compact Activity' section on the Northants page.

Many thanks to Louise Flowers-Coburn, the Learning & Development Advisor from the Social Care department of Northamptonshire County Council, for this contribution.

As many of you will know there is a set of tailored brochures now available in the East Midlands to support Apprenticeships in the Public Sector.

These brochures have been produced separately for each county and have been distributed widely. In L&R and Northants a review of the effectiveness of the approach has been undertaken.

The HR professionals in these areas were asked four questions and eight responses were received. The results were as follows:

In answer to the question "Did you like the appearance and content of the leaflet – the general message ?" - all 8 respondents answered yes !

In answer to the question "Do you feel that the use of local Case Studies is an effective way of promoting Apprenticeship programmes in the sector ?" ... again all 8 answered yes.

In answer to the question "Do you feel that there is a benefit from producing a ‘sector specific’ brochure or do you feel that generic material promoting Apprenticeships is likely to be as effective ?" there was a mixed reaction - 4 said yes and gave reasons why and 4 said that generic material may be as effective.

In answer to the question "Do you feel that using this material internally will increase the uptake of Apprentices within your organisation ? What support would you need to encourage you to pursue the idea?" four of eight gave a positive response.

Overall the brochures have been well received and may well prove to be instrumental in increasing the number of apprentices in the sector.To receive copies - simply email chris@donkinitex.co.uk

To see the full results of the survey - please visit the 'other documents' section on this web site.

As many of you will know there is a set of tailored brochures now available in the East Midlands to support Apprenticeships in the Public Sector.

These brochures have been produced separately for each county and have been distributed widely. In L&R and Northants a review of the effectiveness of the approach has been undertaken.The HR professionals in these areas were asked four questions and eight responses were received. The results were as follows:
In answer to the question "Did you like the appearance and content of the leaflet – the general message ?" - all 8 respondents answered yes !
In answer to the question "Do you feel that the use of local Case Studies is an effective way of promoting Apprenticeship programmes in the sector ?" ... again all 8 answered yes.
In answer to the question "Do you feel that there is a benefit from producing a ‘sector specific’ brochure or do you feel that generic material promoting Apprenticeships is likely to be as effective ?" there was a mixed reaction - 4 said yes and gave reasons why and 4 said that generic material may be as effective.
In answer to the question "Do you feel that using this material internally will increase the uptake of Apprentices within your organisation ? What support would you need to encourage you to pursue the idea?" four of eight gave a positive response.
Overall the brochures have been well received and may well prove to be instrumental in increasing the number of apprentices in the sector.To receive copies - simply email chris@donkinitex.co.uk. To see the full results of the survey - please visit the 'other documents' section on this web site.

At the last R&R meeting in Northants a query came up: " Can volunteers access T2G ?"

This is of interest to many public sector employers (especially sector organisations in the Health arena) as there are lots of volunteers making a contribution within public service.

The issue has been clarified and the answer is YES ! ... so if this applies in your organisation please consider making T2G provision available to your volunteers.

As part of a review of year one working a review of the Terms of Reference was carried out by a small working party of the Steering Group.

At the Steering Group meeting in June the revised version was adopted. The main change is an indication that the Compact will be a 'member organisation' forum.

The new Terms of Reference can be downloaded from the Steering Group page on this site

Lynne Alexander of the local LSC has reported that the National LSC has looked into the potential for an E&D Practitioner’s Association.  The outcome was positive, however the LSC itself has no current plans to progress a project of this nature. 

As yet there is no professional qualification in the pipeline.

The 'Apprenticeships In the Public Sector' event hosted by the L&R Public Sector Compact earlier this month has been commended by the delegates.

The feedback has now been processed and the summary indicates that those attending found the content to be "excellent" and that their 'needs had been met'. One delegate commented that " .. it was great to hear about apprentices from employers themseleves and how their committment had made their programme effective"

The key messages from the event are available on the L&R page. Then access 'Special Events' then 'Apprenticeship Event'

At the last Steering Group meeting, it was suggested that it would be useful if JC+ could provide Compact members with a draft LEP Agreement.

Jo Stewart of JC+ has supplied such a document. She does sound a word of caution in using this document. She writes: "I would stress that we do not need "formal" sign-up from employers on specific measures.  We are simply looking for a commitment from them to work with Jobcentre Plus to support the recruitment of our customers."

The draft Agreement is available for download on the "Other documents" section on this web page.

It is often overlooked that existing employees are also eligible for the support available from an apprenticeship programme.

Clare Reynolds of the LSC has produced a briefing note to inform sector organisations how they can benefit from supporting current employees by placing them on apprenticeship programme.

Download the briefing note - see 'Other documents generated by Compact activity' on the Northants page

The Compact's Recruitment and Retention Theme Group have decided to produce a downloadble sheet of links to Jobs and Careers in the Public Sector.

This sheet will be updated regularly, but the first version containing refernces to jobs/careers in the NHS, local government and FE is available for download from the 'Newsletter' section on this page.

The Sunley Management Centre hosted our 'Progression and Inclusion' event in late April. This event was effectively the re-launch of the Compact. The keynote presentations from the LSC and from the West Midlands Public Sector Compact are now available for download and/or reference.

See the 'other documents generated by Compact activity' section on the home page. 

Chris Donkin has carried out a review of year one of Compact activity. The full report is available for download in the 'Other documents geneerated by Compact activity' on this site. The recoomendations (to be discussed at the next Steering Group meeting in June) are as follows:

It is recommended that for session 08-09 the Compact engages the services of a facilitating agency that are equipped to make a professional input into the work of the Compact in addition to providing administrative and secretarial support.

It is recommended that the Terms of Reference are reviewed with a view to aligning the action plans to the Compact’s stated aims.

It is recommended that the Compact organises and delivers a series of ‘Good Practice’ events and/or seminars. These could be themed around; (i) Approaches to Equality and Diversity Training in the Public Sector; (ii) A Skills Pledge information event and (iii) Increasing apprenticeships in the Public Sector

It is recommended that the Compact explore the possibility of deploying a ‘Members Charter’ to encourage buy-in and commitment from a wider representation of public sector organisations

Later today the Steering Group will consider the report on year one working prepared by Chris Donkin. The review also makes recommendations on how to move forward to ensure that in year two we derive the maximum benefits from collaborative working.

The complete report is available for download on this site - please see the 'Other documents generated by Compact activity' section.

Janette Goodchild, the Proect Leader for PAYP will be attending the next R&R Theme Group meeting. She is hoping to engage with the Compact to tell us more about the initiative.

Positive About Young People (PAYP) is an initiative which is being developed by a group of
employers in Lincolnshire and Rutland to recognise their commitment to young people in the
workplace. It consists of a series of agreed standards indicating what is expected of an
employer if they wish to be recognised as having a positive attitude towards young people at
work.

See also the PAYP reference document in the 'Recruitment and Retention' section on this web site

Mike Crosby of the LSC has flagged this article (below) as of interest to Compact members

While employment rates remain high in the UK, many businesses still testify to there being a lack of adequately skilled workers to recruit from.

Launching LocalGovTV’s Skills and Apprenticeships series today, Skills Minister David Lammy addresses this concern and discusses the immense challenge posed by rising competition from India and China.

To view this content visit: http://www.localgov.tv/cgi-bin/details.pl?action=pre&id=409

Mr Lammy discusses the pivotal role Local Authorities will play in addressing the national skills deficit and encourages them to act as brokers between employers and their immediate community.

He also defends the Government’s decision to allow private sector companies - such as McDonalds - the right to offer accredited training programmes, insisting the qualifications will have direct portability.

If your organisation would be interested in participating our Skills and Apprenticeships series, do please email me with a short paragraph outlining your story and any commercial partners you may be working with.

Best regards,

Gerry Price
LocalGov.TV
A GBTV Channel

If you wish to reply then mail to geraldine.price@localgov.tv

As we move into year two, the Chair of the Steering Group has this message for all Compact members (also to be found in the April Newsletter)

Colleagues
 
As we move into the second year of the Compact it is useful to reflect on the experience of the first twelve months. We have now embedded a working arrangement where two established Theme Groups (Recruitment & Retention and Learning & Development) are implementing actions to address issues of common interest. You will read of the the progress that these groups are making elsewhere in this newsletter. During the first year we have also delivered a series of good practice seminars that have promoted collaborative working within the sector and have been very well received.
 
At the recent Steering Group meeting we had a debate as to where we should focus our efforts in the future. We had a discussion structured around answering the following questions: (i) Should the Compact require a formal commitment from the participating organisations ? (ii) Is the Steering Group the right size and shape ? (iii) Where and how can we most effectively link with other complementary groups ? (iv) Should we set ourselves "hard" targets ? (v) Is there scope for a regional approach ? (vi) Are our action plans effectively meeting the stated aims of the Compact ? The initial feedback from the Steering Group was that we should consider introducing a 'Members Charter' for organisations to signal their commitment to partnership working and we should consider setting performance targets for the Compact around commitment to the Skills Pledge and increasing apprenticeships in the sector. We also felt that we could do some work to ensure that the Steering Group was more representative of the sector as a whole. I will be working with members of the Steering Group to frame a proposal for 'year 2 working' for consideration at the next Steering Group meeting in June. We would be interested to hear your views and how you may be able to contribute. The continued success of the Compact relies on the input from professionals working in the sector. If you wish to contribute to the debate please email the Compact facilitator Chris Donkin (chris@donkinitex.co.uk)
 
Many thanks for your support for the Compact
 
Nigel Howells
(Chief Executive of East Lindsey District Council and Chair of the Lincolnshire and Rutland Public Sector Compact Steering Group)

The Derbyshire Compact is now taking root and has become established as a forum for professionals in the sector to share good practice and work collaboratively to address issues of common interest.

Going forward into year two the Compact has carried out a review of progress made in year one. The interim findings from this review were recently presented to the Steering Group and the key messages can be dowloaded by accessing 'other documents generated by Compact activity' on the Derbyshire page.

At the recent Steering Group meeting it was agreed that the Compact has made excellent progress during the first year of existence.

To build on this and to plot the way forward the SG will be carrying out a 'mini review' of activity including a new look at the 'Terms of Reference' ... if you have any comments on how the first year has been for you then contact Chris Donkin by email - chris@donkinitex.co.uk  

A CONFERENCE FOR PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYERS IN NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, AND LAUNCH OF THE NORTHAMPTON PUBLIC SECTOR COMPACT

• LEARNING AND SKILLS MARKET PLACE
• 4 WORKSHOPS COVERING; EQUALITY & DIVERSITY,  APPRENTICESHIPS, RECRUITING, QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS 
• INTRODUCTION TO THE SKILL PLEDGE

PLEASE CONTACT LINDA CRUTCHLEY OR SOPHIE PETERS FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON 01604 671472

The key messages from the Skills Pledge Breakfast Briefing can be accessed from the Special Events tab on this web site.

Also contianed in this document is some feedback from the Q and A Plenary

At the recent Skills Pledge Breakfast Briefing Emma Strafford (The Learning and Development Manager at HMP Morton Hall)  told delegates how literacy was taught by being embedded in a 'Beginners Spanish' class !

The contact details for the provider delivering this course have been provided by Emma and they are : Tel. 0115 9146175 email rob.jeremy@snc.ac.uk . This looks like a 'South Notts College' service. If any of the Lincs FE Colleges could also provide this service - please get in touch and I will make your contact details available also

The Skills Pledge Breakast briefing took place on the 19th March and was heralded as a great success. Feedback from the event is very positive with all delegates complimenting the 'content' of the event and the overwhelming consensus was that the attendees felt that their 'needs had been met'.

We are now looking forward to many more sector organisations in Lincs and Rutland signing the pledge. A full e-version of the delegate pack is available for download in the 'Special Events' section of this web site. 

The LSC have indicated that they can support two more organisations to help them establish the 'qualifications profile' of the organisation.

In the first phase of this 'mini-project' Chris Donkin worked with East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) and East Lindsey District Council (ELDC) to help them find out if they were 'Skills Plege Ready'. In both cases the organisations discovered that the number of employees in their organisation qualified at below level 2 standard was less than 20% of the workforce. This has encouraged EMAS and ELDC to consider committing to the Skills Pledge.

If you wish to be one of the 'extra two' organisations, please contact Chris Donkin (chris@donkinitex.co.uk) ASAP.

Clear Wins the event to promote access to LSC funded Work Based Learning Opportunities for the Public Sector took place on Friday the 29th of February at the Sunley Management Centre.

The feedback was very positive and many sector organisations are now ready to explore ways of increasing apprenticeships and also considering signing the Leitch Skills Pledge.

Please go to 'other documents generated by Compact activity' on the Northants page to download the feedback.

After a period of design and development and a big contribution from Ark ICT Solutions of Spalding, the new look web site has arrived.

If you are reading this on the old version of the site .. just click on the Lincolnshire and Rutland tab on the left of the screen to be re-directed.

The next major Compact Event is the Skills Pledge Breakfast Briefing on the 19th March 2008.

Contact Chris Donkin chris@donkinitex.co.uk to book a place

Click http://www.empscompacts.org.uk/landr/oichildren.asp to dowload the event flyer / invite and also more information about the PAYP initiative.

The Compact is hosting "Clear Wins" : Work Based Learning for the Public Sector - A special event.

The event will be accommodated at the Sunley Management Centre on Friday 29th February. The event will feature presentations relating to Apprenticeship Opportunities, T2G and Skills for Life. The agenda can be downloaded by visiting 'other documents genearted by Compact activity' on this page.

To book a place simply email chris@donkinitex.co.uk

An East Midlands Project funded by the the LSC's Regional Skills Fund is examining why the sector attracts a disproportionately low number of apprentices. Work is underway in each county to look at barriers to participation - both real and perceived.

In Lincs and Rutland the investigative phase of the work has been concluded and Chris Donkin has compiled a report. The main findings are as follows:

 To download a complete copy of the report go to the Lincs and Rutland page and to the 'other activity' section.

Writing in the December Newsletter published by the Lincolnshire and Rutland Public Sector Compact, Nigel Howells (Chair of the Steering Group and Chief Executive of East Lindsey District Council) sent out the following New Year message encouraging colleagues to participate in Compact activity. Please download the newsletter for updates on current activity.

Hope you have a successful and prosperous 2008.

The E&D Event staged by the Compact last week was well received by the delegates. A 'diverse' set of presentations described the various approaches to E&D training at (i) Lincs County Council; (ii) EMAS, (iii) HMP Morton Hall and (iv) The Lincolnshire Partnership Trust. Feedback was very positive with the content of the presentations being acknowledged as 'excellent'.

The presentations are downloadable from this site - visit the Lincolnshire and Rutland page and go to 'Other documents generated by Compact activity'. The "Key Messages" from the event are available on the same page in the L&D Theme Group section.

Brian Skinner the Chair of the Work Based Academy sends this message to Compact members :

I was delighted to be able to make a presentation to you on the benefits of Apprenticeships  at the Public Sector Compact meeting on 26^th September.  If you do employ young people aged between 16 and 24 who are not engaged in learning, then I recommend you look at Apprenticeships as a way of developing these young people.   If you would like more information, or a face-to-face meeting about the scope of apprenticeships and the way they can work for you, please do not hesitate to contact me. (07966247647 - email bryski@btconnect.com)

A welcome spin-off from yesterdays Clear Wins Event is that it is clear that the Trade Unions are becoming more involved with the work of the Compact. It is now apparent that the Union Learning Reps can play a major role in supporting our work. For more information on the Union Learning Rep initiative click the link below:

http://www.unionlearn.org.uk/

Please check out the Lincolnshire and Rutland home page.

 We have established a page to advertise vacancies in the sector. Please click on the link on the L&R page for more details.

It is our intention to encourage as many public sector organisations as possible to provide us with the link to their vacancies

On June 13th over 30 representatives from 22 different Public Sector Organisations attended a consulation event at Lumb Farm to explore and progress the Action Plan for the Derbyshire Compact, outlined by the Steering Group.

An Open Space forum was followed by two focused discussion groups who considered issues on the themes of Learning and Development and Recruitment and Retention. 

Notes and a questionnaire from this event can be found in the Learning and Development section of the Derbyshire web page.

The Lincolnshire and Rutland Public Sector Compact Steering Group met for an informal meeting earlier today to take feedback from Nicola Marshall on the main issues facing the sector in the two counties. A very informative report was presented. Please access the document and download. It's a rattling good read !

The Alliance received a report on progress so far and have endorsed the work of the project.

Considerable progress was achieved in a very productive meeting. Liz Searle (The Area Director of the LSC in Northants) was elected as Chair. The Northamptonshire Training and Development Partnership (NTDP) were nominated and accepted the role of 'faciltating agency'

The draft minutes from this meeting have been posted on the Northants page of this site.

The minutes of this meeting will be posted on the Derbyshire page of this site soon.

Roisin Murray of the Business School of the University of Derby was elected as Chair. Best wishes to Roisin and the group.

The minutes of these meetings will be posted on this site soon.

Keep visiting the county pages for updates.