New city Education, Skills and Employment Strategy set to be approved

Wednesday, 30 August 2023 19:40

City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet is set to approve a new Education, Skills and Employment Strategy for the city to support local people into good quality careers and work.

It follows a formal public and stakeholder consultation process and learning from the Wolves at Work 18-24 programme, which demonstrated that tackling the unemployment figures and raising skills levels in Wolverhampton requires a holistic all-age approach with increased support at key transition points in a resident’s life.

This has led to the priorities in the new Education, Skills and Employment Strategy being co-produced with communities and partners across the city.

The Cabinet will meet next Wednesday (September 6) to discuss the strategy, which will be delivered through the Wolves at Work Transformation Programme, supported by £1.2million from the remaining Wolves at Work 18-24 programme budget.

The strategy sets out a collaborative approach to meet future skills and employment needs in the city by linking up new and emerging business sectors with the city’s training and skills offer to create a local talent pipeline which stimulates growth.

It is built around five overarching priorities:

Children have the best start in life
High quality education which prepares young people for work
Post 16 provision which meets the needs of city employers
Lifelong learning and employment pathways to good quality work
A new employer support offer

The strategy provides a framework for action through which the council can work with its key partners, such as local employers, education and skills providers, voluntary and community sector, and local anchor institutions.

The Council’s Executive Director of Families, Emma Bennett, said: “A lifelong approach to supporting people into local jobs is necessary to help people capitalise on the opportunities the new City Learning Quarter will provide and better connect them to the jobs that are being created by the investment that is being made in our city in different industry sectors.

“The council cannot address the challenge of reducing unemployment in isolation, it is therefore absolutely essential that we lead and drive a coordinated and sustained response with city employers and partners, the West Midlands Combined Authority and Government Departments – a ‘One City’ Response - with our citizens and their voices at the centre of every element of the response.”

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