City Strategy

Through the City Strategy we are passing more responsibility locally. We are beginning to see employers and partnerships thinking creatively about how to meet local needs. We have invested in key urban areas with high worklessness, giving control to local partners to test how to combine the work of government agencies, local government and the private and third sectors together in a local partnership. We particularly want to see whether local partners can deliver more by combining and aligning their efforts behind shared priorities and tailor services to respond to local needs. Flexible funding over the past two years has been used to develop partnerships and test the best ways of bringing services together for individuals and employers.

Given the success of these pathfinders to date, the Government will make available continued support beyond April 2009 for Pathfinders that can show they are making real progress to tackle worklessness, raise skills and reduce poverty.

Multi-area agreements

The Multi-Area Agreement (MAA) process is providing a new framework for successful partnerships at a local level. An MAA brings together local authorities and other partners together with central government to agree new approaches for their local economy, in return for a commitment to deliver progress on the ground. There will not be one single approach to devolve responsibilities for delivery but MAAs will be a preferred route to empower local partners as they offer an effective framework for all levels of government to address the complex challenges facing areas that experience high levels of worklessness.

CITY STRATEGY: PROGRESS SO FAR IN DELIVERING INTEGRATED SERVICES FOR INDIVIDUALS

The City Strategy is at the heart of Government's agenda to tackle worklessness, skills and reduce child poverty. Through strong local leaderships, engaging a mix of partners in both the private and third sectors and agreeing a clear vision they are shaping local activity. For example:

  • West Midlands. In the West Midlands providers have been contracted to engage people who have been out of work for 12 months, to offer a skills assessment and develop an action plan. Separate providers offer specific training designed to meet individuals' and employer needs. In one year there was a net reduction of 5,630 people on benefit, a 25 per cent increase in enrolments for courses at first Level 2 and almost 15,000 people joining Skills for Life programmes.
  • Glasgow. Glasgow has achieved a step change in employment and skills development using their business plan to strengthen local leadership, bring employers in, and provide a 'whole needs' approach to the issues and barriers experienced by workless and low-skilled people. They are creating a route to a job and closer working with local employers to make more vacancies available to the most disadvantaged people.
THE ROLE OF LEADING MULTI-AREA AGREEMENTS IN DRIVING THE DELIVERY OF EMPLOYMENT AND SKILLS SERVICES

Local authorities are currently negotiating a ground-breaking Multi-Area Agreement to transform the services offered to individuals and employers in the Greater Manchester City Region. This is likely to include:

  • Producing an employment and skills implementation plan for the city region, and committing to ambitious reductions in the numbers of workless people on inactive benefits;
  • Ensuring that employers are at the heart of shaping new approaches through a strong employer-dominated commission giving strategic direction to investment in skills in the city;
  • Developing employment and skills targets with Jobcentre Plus and LSC partners to incentivise collaboration at the frontline towards a common goal;
  • Making Manchester a test-bed for developing all of the key aspects of an integrated employment and skills system. This will include trialling:
    • the new adult advancement and careers service;
    • Skills Accounts and how these will integrate with the support provided by Jobcentre Plus;
    • the new referral and skills health check system for Jobcentre Plus customers.

Other proposed MAA areas, including Leeds, and Portsmouth and Urban South Hampshire, are bringing forward approaches on employment and skills including proposals to ensure that individuals get the support they need to enter sustainable employment and progress, and employers have access to a skilled workforce.

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