HEART Skills Project: embedding what we do and influencing the Regional Skills Plan

HEART Skills Project: embedding what we do and influencing the Regional Skills Plan

2 Report produced by Dr David Wilkinson, Research Toolkit Limited. Photography: Ian Hinchliffe.

Contents g Executive summary 4 g Introduction 6 g Working with the LCP LEP and influencing the Skills Plan 7 g Partnership working 8 g Resources and outputs 12 g Legacy 14 HEART Skills Project 3

Executive summary Remit and outline of the project The HEART Skills Project aims were to: Explore the range of initiatives in development and being aimed at schools and which could be brought into the Single Point of Contact (SPoC)/National Network for Collaborative Outreach (NNCO) communications with schools. Work with colleagues from Local Authorities and the LEP to determine what adjustments would be required to the current NNCO operation in order to secure meaningful buy-in from them, shaping the NNCO to better align with the aims of the various skills plans. Directly impact on the review of the LEP Skills Plan, ensuring a greater emphasis on higher level skills, particularly though not exclusively on work based/related qualifications such as such as Foundation Degrees, HNC/D, Higher/Degree Level apprenticeships. Working with the LCR LEP and influencing the Skills Plan A central part of this project work has involved structured meetings and negotiations with Leeds City Region LEP representatives in order to influence the content of the region s Skills Plan refresh. A particular driver here has been to inform and advise the LEP on the importance of higher level skills for the economic growth of the regional economy. Our regular development meetings (with teachers/careers staff, HEART partner organisations, employers) where our evidence and supporting data were assessed, contributed to the significant emphasis on higher level skills (focusing on levels 4-7) and higher level apprenticeships in the Leeds City Region LEP Employment and Skills Plan. Access to valuable intelligence data relating to regional skill need Through working with our various partners and collaborators, we have harvested valuable regional intelligence information relating to employment and skill need. This information has been synthesised and informed our strengthened relationships with the LEP. We now have structured plans to work with LCR LEP on new projects and have catch-ups to share information about plans and discussions about how the Skills Plan can be realised through our work. Products developed as a result of our relationships Our development work focusing on apprenticeship needs in our region has resulted in new partnerships to look at progression routes and the development of video resources, drawing upon our emerging and strong working relationships with Yorkshire Water, Mott MacDonald, WISE, the Tech Partnership and Engineering UK. Trust and understanding The unique position of HEART, as an established central point of contact for outreach within the region, has meant that we have developed a detailed understanding of operations and provision offering across our partner network organisations. Our regular liaison and information sharing activities across partner organisations have also meant that we have been able to nurture and grow our position as a trusted organisation. Partnership working We convened regular partnership working groups of our HE Partners, employer representative bodies and the LEP to plan and develop collaborative higher level and degree apprenticeships responding to regional and national economic need. This work was also informed by the work being carried out by local councils in this area. These groups are still ongoing and several collaborative projects have been advanced between FE and HE partners. 4

Resources and outputs Resourceful Futures We organised a regional best practice and dissemination event in November 2016 (held at the Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield) to share best practice with our NNCO partners, to share labour market information with schools and careers advisers and to market our partner HE courses to schools. All of our resources presented at our Resourceful Futures event are based around case study videos of local graduates working in the Digital and Engineering sectors. As we have been working closely with the LEP and Engineering UK, we understand the importance of exposing young people to the growth sectors in their area, whilst also designing resources that focused on exploring their personal career path. Feedback on the Resourceful Futures event was extremely positive from the range of advice and guidance staff present highlighting the value of our pilot resources and their potential application and use in school. This is now envisaged as an annual event to continue the momentum which has been built. Legacy Going forward, the HEART Skills Project team will continue to work with current partners, as well as continuing to join up our own work with that of others operating in the skill support arena. Whilst our project has been successful, much of the ultimate benefit of our engagements and collaborative approach will take time to realise. We have only just begun to reap the rewards of close collaboration with our partners. The legacy of the HEART Skills Project will be demonstrated by our future working practices and partnerships - designed to offer the very best opportunities to young people, whilst at the same time targeting those skill areas identified as regionally important for development and growth. Summer school The HEART collaborative residential took place across seven of HEART s partner organisations from Tuesday 19th July to Thursday 21st July 2016. The residential was targeted provision offered to schools in West Yorkshire with low engagement and low progression rates into HE. In line with the region s skills priorities, we ensured that many of the activities offered as part of the experience had an engineering/ infrastructure or digital focus; exposing young people to activities which form the work of the growth sectors in our region. HEART Skills Project 5

Introduction Remit and outline of the project The HEART Skills Project aims were to: Explore the range of initiatives in development and being aimed at schools and which could be brought into the Single Point of Contact (SPoC)/National Network for Collaborative Outreach (NNCO) communications with schools. Work with colleagues from Local Authorities and the LEP to determine what adjustments would be required to the current NNCO operation in order to secure meaningful buy-in from them, shaping the NNCO to better align with the aims of the various skills plans. Directly impact on the review of the LEP Skills Plan, ensuring a greater emphasis on higher level skills, particularly though not exclusively on work based/related qualifications such as Foundation Degrees, HNC/D, Higher/ Degree Level apprenticeships. HEART HEART is a partnership between twelve higher education providers across West Yorkshire, working together on a fair access agenda, to ensure that higher education, in all its forms, is an option available to all those who can benefit from it. HEART s core remit is to work with our twelve partner organisations to undertake collaborative outreach, and share resource and good practice. This includes collecting valuable intelligence data on the range of initiatives currently available to schools within our region. To meet local skills needs, we need to inspire more diverse cohorts to enter relevant sectors. At HEART we want to make sure that the aspirations of young people are not limited by the perceptions they may hold, sometimes erroneously, about certain employment routes. In working together, we have developed a solid understanding of the workings of HE providers and the many and varied routes through the education system into work. As such we, as a partnership, have valuable (and evidence driven) contributions to make to current and future skill needs. 6

Working with the LCR LEP and influencing the Skills Plan A central part of this project work has involved structured meetings and negotiations with Leeds City Region LEP representatives in order to influence the content of the region s Skills Plan refresh. A particular driver here has been to inform and advise the LEP on the importance of higher level skills for the economic growth of the regional economy. To achieve our aim in this area we have informed policy and plans though our discussions and meetings with managers and policy-makers at: Yorkshire Universities - the regional voice for higher education in Yorkshire and the Humber. Yorkshire Universities aim is to foster collaboration and partnership working to maximise the value and impact of higher education in Yorkshire. Higher York a partnership between Askham Bryan College, City of York Council, the University of York, York College and York St John University. Higher York supports the economic ambitions of York and the wider Local Enterprise Partnership areas. Leeds City Region LEP working with public and private sector partners, Leeds City Region LEP provides support and funding to help businesses grow, attract new investment to the region and develop the skills, energy and digital infrastructure to create jobs and prosperity. Research and consultation work carried out within HEART revealed to us the developing need for higher level skills within West Yorkshire to enable those with an ability and potential to contribute to the economic development and growth within the Leeds City Region. Our regular development meetings (with teachers/careers staff, HEART partner organisations, employers) where our evidence and supporting data were assessed, contributed to the significant emphasis on higher level skills (focusing on levels 4-7) and higher level apprenticeships in the Leeds City Region LEP Employment and Skills Plan. The Skills Plan project manager teamed up with Yorkshire Universities and Higher York and met regularly (as a group to discuss a plan of action). Structured meetings and discussions also took place with the Head of Employment and Skills at the LEP. In matching the emerging need of the LEP, our target industry areas have included infrastructure, digital skills and engineering and manufacturing. Specific activity priorities within the Skills Plan which we have influenced are: Raising the bar on high level skills. Providing more and better apprenticeships. We have also been focused in our efforts to ensure that we add value to supporting priorities of the Skills Plan, namely: Enhancing employability to enable people to access jobs and realise their potential. Building workforce skills and attracting talent. Fostering improved engagement between education and business. HEART Skills Project 7

Partnership working The HEART Skills Project has focused on linking up those who have an interest or remit in economic growth and skill development in the LEP region. These include employers, schools, and HE providers. To assist our efforts to gather information on current and emerging needs we have organised a number of meetings, events and activities. We convened regular partnership working groups of our HE Partners, employer representative bodies and the LEP to plan and develop collaborative higher level and degree apprenticeships responding to regional and national economic need. This work was also informed by the work being carried out by local councils in this area. These groups are still ongoing and several collaborative projects have been advanced between FE and HE partners. We held focus groups with teachers and schools careers advisers about resource need to promote career pathways in the economic priority areas for our region; consulted with the LEP - particularly in relation to the work they are doing in schools with enterprise advisers and the new Techgoals project (the aim of which is to increase digital skills for both teachers and pupils in schools), and we have also linked with many employers in the region to elicit their views on current and emerging skill need. Helen Sykes (Heart Partnership Manager) introduces the Resourceful Futures Project Our celebration of best practice event Resourceful Futures, held in November 2016, also provided an opportunity for the HEART Skills Project team to showcase the resources we developed for schools and careers staff to encourage more young people to seek career opportunities within the particular sector areas of infrastructure, digital skills and engineering and manufacturing. In addition to providing an opportunity to celebrate best practice, our Resourceful Futures event enabled us to present our work (on career pathways and the jobs of tomorrow) and our collaborative links to a range of partners, including: local HE Partners and industry representatives, the LEP, and the National Careers Service. Partnerships developed Over the period of this project HEART have developed links and relationships with a variety of organisations and providers in the region. These have included: The five West Yorkshire local authorities (Skills Leads) Calderdale, Wakefield, Kirklees, Bradford and Leeds Higher York Yorkshire Universities HEPP (Sheffield) The Leeds City Region LEP WISE (Women in to Science, Technology and Engineering) Engineering UK The TECH Partnership Yorkshire Water Mott MacDonald Cloudtrainer The National Careers Service, Yorkshire and the Humber School Careers Advisers and Teachers (via Aspire-I, C&K Careers, Teach First and our existing school partnerships) 8

Products developed as a result of our relationships Our development work focuses on different career pathways available to young people and has resulted in tailored provision and video resource development that draw upon our emerging and strong working relationships with Yorkshire Water, Mott MacDonald, WISE, the Tech Partnership and Engineering UK. The essence of the video material produced was based on case studies of local graduates currently working in our region; indicating to young people that they too can progress to working in these environments and industry sectors. The case studies focus on capturing the careers and education stories of local graduates (both through the traditional university route and higher apprenticeship routes) working in the region s skills growth areas. Circle of influence Career/Education Influences Family Friends School/teachers Media Family history Traditions Religion/culture Politics Stereotypes Society Economic background Girlfriend/boyfriend Career advisers Adult role model Carers We have also developed and piloted complementary resource materials for our case studies, to be used in schools by careers advisers. These focus on skill development for progression into STEM-based jobs or careers. These include the Circle of Influence and Values, Skills and Interests materials, as well as materials based specifically on careers in Engineering and Digital Sectors. These resources seek to explore and reverse students pre-conceptions of careers in Engineering and Digital sectors whilst the Circle of Influence and Values, Skills and Interests graphs are framed around an informal discussion activity designed to encourage young people to explore who and what influences their career and employment decisions. Access to valuable intelligence data relating to regional skill need Through working with our various partners and collaborators, we have harvested valuable regional intelligence information relating to employment and skill need. This information has been synthesised and informed our strengthened relationships with the LEP. We now have structured plans to work with LCR LEP on new projects and have catch-ups to share information about plans and discussions about how the Skills Plan can be realised through our work. Values, Interests, Skills Career/Education Influences Values: What things are important to you? Interests: What experiences have you had that you have really enjoyed/ found interesting? Skills: What elements of different subjects are you really good at? HEART Skills Project 9

Trust and understanding The unique position of HEART, as an established central point of contact for outreach within the region, has meant that we have developed a detailed understanding of operations and provision offering across our partner network organisations. Our regular liaison and information sharing activities across partner organisations have also meant that we have been able to nurture and grow our position as a trusted organisation. The trust networks that we have developed within and outside of our partnership mean that we continue to be informed of regional developments and skill need. Moreover, as a respected operator in the region, HEART Skills Project staff have access to many influential information gate keepers in organisations we work with. All of this preferential access enables us as a collaborative organisation to rapidly and coherently respond to emerging skill, training and employment need. Higher Apprenticeships Appropriate and tailored provision is important for learners in our region who may not suit a model of development and progression that focuses on purely academic attainment and achievement. We have spent considerable time and effort carefully negotiating with our 12 HE partners across the region, as well many employers (operating in the industry areas of infrastructure, digital skills and engineering and manufacturing) to ensure that current and future Apprenticeship offer is suitable and fits with emerging regional needs and priorities. 10

Working with the education sector Projects which seek to engage with schools and careers advisers are often hindered by a lack of understanding of the sector, its needs and its approaches to delivery of content. We therefore consulted widely with experts in the field to ensure that the content and materials we developed were appropriately pitched to meet the needs of schools and those in support functions in schools such as careers advisers. Our success in this endeavour has resulted in the production of robust and relevant learning materials of value to schools, and particularly careers staff in schools. We intend to carry on working with careers staff across the region when developing more HEART resources. Our consultation effort in this area included securing comment and feedback from the following: Staff from higher education courses in teacher education and careers guidance training. Staff from school-centred initial teacher training (SCITT) routes to teacher training. Staff responsible for CPD for newly qualified teachers (NQTs). HEART Skills Project 11

Resources and outputs Resourceful Futures We organised a regional best practice and dissemination event in November 2016 (held at the Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield) to share best practice with our NNCO partners, to share labour market information with schools and careers advisers and to market our partner HE courses to schools. Contributors to this event included experts from the LEP (providing an analysis of labour market data in the region and information about the Techgoals project), Engineering UK (who discussed the wealth of resources available from them on career routes into engineering), and Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) (who delivered careers support sessions targeting girls who wished to enter careers in STEM). Our Resourceful Futures event also provided an opportunity for the HEART Skills Project team to showcase the resources we developed for schools and careers staff to encourage more young people to seek career opportunities within the particular sector areas of infrastructure, digital skills and engineering and manufacturing. Resources developed as part of the HEART Skills Project, aim to help young people explore their existing skills and interests and, with the support of advisers, begin to think about how these may feed into their future career and education choices. In particular, the resources encourage young people to think about who influences their career and education decisions and how can they use these individuals to ask for guidance and support. All of our resources are based around case study videos of local graduates working in the Digital and Engineering sectors. As we have been working closely with the LEP and Engineering UK, we understand the importance of exposing young people to the growth sectors in their area, whilst also designing resources that focused on exploring their personal career path. Feedback on the Resourceful Futures event was extremely positive from the range of advice and guidance staff present highlighting the value of our pilot resources and their potential application and use in school. This is now envisaged as an annual event to continue the momentum which has been built. Great speakers and thought provoking sessions. Good use of resources, some great tools we can use in schools. - Careers Adviser, Airedale Academy, Wakefield. Great resources and fabulous speakers - much of this can be used immediately in school. Careers Coordinator, Kettlethorpe High School, Wakefield. I really liked the resources in the WISE workshops. Videos produced as part of the HEART project will definitely be used for KS4, possibly KS3 too. - Careers Adviser, Appleton Academy, Bradford. What will I use following the event? I m certainly going to access the excellent videos produced by HEART, possibly try to secure Catherine [one of the video case studies] to do a presentation for our work with schools! - Employability Adviser, Sheffield Hallam University. 12

Case studies of real people from our region A substantial output of the HEART Skills Project is the detailed case studies showcasing people working in the key industry sectors of current interest to the LEP. In total, seven case studies have been developed, and from these five careersfocused and inspirational videos have been produced. These include Hope s account which, among other things, explores issues around diversity in the engineering sector. The case study videos and accompanying resources will act as a vehicle to promote careers discussion and exploration in the classroom, whilst also exhibiting local role models working in these crucial sectors. Summer School impact 35% increase in understanding of what HE or University student life is like from the beginning to the end of the programme. 25% increase in understanding of courses available at university and college from the beginning to the end of the programme. Dr Anna Woodhouse, HEART Outreach and Activity Coordinator introduces the HEART Residential Summer School 2016 Hope s story: engineering career case study Summer school The HEART collaborative residential took place across seven of HEART s partner organisations from Tuesday 19th July to Thursday 21st July 2016. The residential was targeted provision offered to schools in West Yorkshire with low engagement and low progression rates into HE. In line with the region s skills priorities, we ensured that many of the activities offered as part of the experience had an engineering/ infrastructure or digital focus; exposing young people to activities which form the work of the growth sectors in our region. Through participating in the residential, students were able to experience life in HE at several of our partners institutions. The most positive and considerable gains, from the participants own perspective, were in relation to understanding what student life is like in higher education. The Engineering colouring book With support from HEART, the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Leeds and the Leeds College of Art collaborated to produce a colouring book for children about what engineering is and what engineers do. We feel that, although this resource is not a direct output of the HEART Skills Project, it falls under the broad output activity of HEART and provides an excellent example of HEART s ability to identify content and materials that target regional priorities. HEART Skills Project 13

Legacy Going forward, the HEART Skills Project Manager post will be funded by the HEART partnership and will continue to work with current partners, as well as continuing to join up our own work with that of others operating in the skill support arena. The apprenticeship development has meant we have developed trust mechanisms between our partners which is enabling us to share information more comfortably and honestly; as well as helping us to build progression pathways together. This has already led to discussions around the development of a joint funding bid to further develop our partnership and collaborative working approach. As a result of the project, we have also forged meaningful cooperative relationships with the employer representative organisations including Engineering UK, and The Tech Partnership, and WISE (Women into Science and Engineering), based at Leeds College of Building. These organisations are supporting us to create inspiring resources for potential learners in the form of case studies, supporting our partners in our development of higher level apprenticeships and supporting our message to schools in terms of higher level pathways into these careers including the dissemination of a strong diversity message. Our partnerships with these organisations will ensure our outputs are linked to industry and sector need in the region. Additionally, strong relationships have been developed with the local authorities within our region, with two-way communication on: the skill needs for their areas, existing provision and gaps, and the ways in which we can work together. Contact with local authorities is continuing and further meetings are being organised to discuss regional apprenticeship development. Whilst our project has been successful, much of the ultimate benefit of our engagements and collaborative approach will take time to realise. We have only just begun to reap the rewards of close collaboration with our partners. The legacy of the HEART Skills Project will be demonstrated by our future working practices and partnerships - designed to offer the very best opportunities to young people, whilst at the same time targeting those skill areas identified as regionally important for development and growth. 14

HEART Skills Project 15

HEART has now changed to Go Higher West Yorkshire: : www.gohigherwestyorks.ac.uk ( 0113 343 3503