Priority Three: A region of learning and creativity

Technical education is a critically important part of the wider education and skills system. An efficient, easy-to-navigate technical education system can boost productivity and social mobility.

Agile, forward-looking curricula will be accessible at all levels of learning. This will ensure residents from all backgrounds benefit from the transformational opportunities of a growing economy. It will be made possible through partnership working with education and training providers, rooted in the needs of priority growth sectors.

Devolution, including that of adult skills functions, provides a unique opportunity to align skills pathways. It is important to support individuals with confidence and basic skills, such as maths, English and essential digital skills, to unlock access to technical education.

Increasing digital skills will drive growth across all parts of the economy. Over 80 percent of jobs in West Yorkshire require essential digital skills, but 15 percent of residents lack these. The West Yorkshire Digital Skills Plan is a blueprint for delivery to support everybody, from the residents who want to use digital to connect with their families, to businesses looking to grow and innovate, to people looking for opportunities to work in the region’s thriving tech sector.

Building on the Digital Skills Plan, the West Yorkshire Digital Blueprint considers the position of digital skills within the wider digital economy in the region. This includes addressing skills gaps in growing areas of need such as cybersecurity and data analytics. If these areas are addressed, it will boost key regional growth ambitions in all high-growth opportunity clusters and across the West Yorkshire Investment Zone.

Agile, employer-led, modular training solutions that fill acute skills shortages through a comprehensive adult skills offer are already being pioneered. Work will be ongoing to support employers to invest in skills, to better utilise skills and talent and to stimulate demand for higher-level skills. This will create pipelines of talent that meet current and future business needs. The proposed new Growth and Skills Levy and the role of Skills England will be crucial to these ambitions.

To seize the opportunities of regional investment and high-growth sectors, education and training provision must quickly pivot to the needs of emerging and new technologies and remain agile to skills demands. West Yorkshire boasts a further education sector that gives 110,000 students from diverse and often disadvantaged backgrounds access to lifelong learning. The region’s higher education sector spans seven universities, enrolling 10,000 students and producing around 35,000 graduates a year.

As well as catering for the education and training needs of school leavers and young people looking to take their first career steps, the provider base must be able to accommodate provision for more adult learners who are looking to reskill and upskill to take advantage of new opportunities.

Education and training providers need capital funding to invest in buildings, specialist equipment and facilities, especially in emerging skills areas. This will align their offer with the local labour market’s current and future skills demands and help to address sufficiency issues. The Combined Authority will work in partnership with Government to explore regional solutions to capital investment and to lever investment for further education and training through a single settlement for adult skills.

West Yorkshire education and training providers are experiencing an acute lack of capacity and stability. This impedes their ability to deliver existing provision, as well as their ability to develop the agile, employer-focused offer that is needed to create pipelines of talent. The Combined Authority will continue to champion a forward-looking further education sector by formalising its strategic partnership work, by re-prioritising the development of provision through available funding mechanisms and by aligning its ambitions.

Capacity to deliver training in areas that face skills shortages, or which require high-demand skills, is severely hampered by the shortage of skilled tutors. This includes key sectors such as advanced manufacturing, engineering, construction and the green economy, which are critical to the realisation of the region’s growth ambitions. Innovative, regional solutions will be co-developed in partnership with employers and the further education sector.

Transitions in education refer to the move between educational stages such as primary, secondary, post-16, or into work, as well as changes within a stage, such as moving class. Transitions continue to feature throughout life, typically after events that create a significant change, such as a health diagnosis or starting a family.

Transitions affect people in different ways. They can cause negative effects ranging from emotional stress to changes in relationships, reduced attainment or disengagement. They can be especially disruptive for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, or those with special educational needs or disabilities.

In West Yorkshire, attainment levels for young people are relatively low. Improving successful transitions in education, while working in close partnership with local authorities, will have a positive short-term impact on young people’s confidence, resilience and academic progression. It will also have a long-term impact on their academic and career outcomes. Effective, ongoing careers support can enable smooth positive transitions for individuals and can offset some of the disadvantages arising from inequalities in social capital, promoting social mobility.

An integrated, all-age careers and employment support system is being established. It will take a holistic and person-centred approach and will be rooted in the opportunities within the region. The Combined Authority will work in close partnership with local authorities, employers and education and training providers to provide ongoing, high-quality careers support. This could include employer encounters such as work experience, as well as targeted careers advice and guidance or supported internships.

These activities play a key role in supporting effective transition between educational stages and stages in life. They support people to navigate the world of work and contribute to preventing young people from becoming NEET. They support returners to work, career changers and those seeking to progress in work. The ‘Youth Guarantee’ is a step in the right direction, ensuring that young people aged 18-21 have access to training, an apprenticeship, or support to find work.

Social value will be a key lever to maximise the positive impact of large-scale investment in Mass Transit and retrofit through the Home Energy West Yorkshire programme. Local authority partners can offer a wealth of learning and experience in leveraging public sector procurement for the benefit of local communities. Embedding social value as a key part of any procurement or commissioning exercise, together with building on the good practice and experience of local authorities, will leverage and unlock additional investment to support local and regional priorities, including around employment and skills.

This may include:

• Encouraging collaboration with suppliers to map out skills requirements associated with mass infrastructure projects and to work proactively with education providers to ensure necessary provision is in place to develop a diverse talent pool. This could include facilitating employee time to support with training in niche areas, or sponsoring equipment and courses
• Ensuring suppliers commit to working with employment support provision to ensure meaningful and stable employment opportunities
• Working with suppliers to offer meaningful experiences of the workplace for residents, to equip residents with the soft-skills and social capital needed to realise their career ambitions. This is aligned to ambitions associated with the West Yorkshire Promise and careers offer.

West Yorkshire’s relatively weak skills base risks constraining economic growth. Skills mismatches present a missed opportunity to maximise productivity and constrain individual career opportunities.

To ensure businesses and residents can benefit from and maximise the opportunities of regional infrastructure investment and growth clusters, the Combined Authority will collaborate with industry and education to identify skills needs and co-develop high-impact solutions. Regional control of Local Skills Improvement Plans will support this ambition.

Wakefield is the largest city in England without a university. Fewer residents there have Level 4 qualifications compared to either the regional or national average. The Combined Authority is working with Wakefield Council to fully understand the barriers to higher-level skills and higher education and the potential solutions to access.

There is evidence that under-utilisation of skills is a key issue for Bradford. Although it is one of the largest cities in the north of England, only 67 percent of recent undergraduate qualifiers are employed in higher-skilled jobs, compared with 74 percent for Leeds. Bradford is in the lowest quintile nationally on this measure.

Delivery of the Local Growth Plan will maximise skills utilisation and graduate retention. It will learn from and build on the Graduates West Yorkshire pilot, a programme developed with SMEs to hire and retain highly skilled graduates in graduate-level roles.

Employers will be key to closing the regional skills gap through investment and engagement with education and skills. They will also be some of the main beneficiaries of success.

Access to high-quality early years education provision reduces inequalities and attainment gaps. Its benefits are felt particularly by children from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with special educational needs or disabilities. High-quality early years education is also key to enabling parental economic participation, especially for career opportunities in marginalised groups.

Working with Local Authorities and wider partners the Combined Authority will convene key actors across the early years education sector. Together, they will work to raise the sector’s profile, celebrate and recognise achievement and restore prestige and esteem. They will build a regional evidence base to take an evidence-led approach to policy and practice.

Expanding the workforce in the early years education sector will boost the availability of quality provision, give children the best start in life and enable parents and carers to return to work. A West Yorkshire Early Years Workforce Plan will be produced to look at recruitment and retention challenges within the sector and to address skills need and training gaps.

Work will be developed on innovative early years delivery models like co-ops and social enterprises. There will be a particular focus on supporting children from the most deprived areas and those with special educational needs or disabilities. Existing good practice from models including Family Hubs will be utilised where appropriate, for wider application across the region.

Regional policy engagement

The Y-PERN 'Early Years Education and Childcare in West Yorkshire' report looked at the Combined Authority’s policy levers to support the early years education sector to improve the life chances of children and boost workforce participation.

This work has provided a robust evidence base, looking at the provision of early years education and childcare as a system and considering the role and influence of the Combined Authority and partners.

Supporting residents to overcome complex barriers to education, training and work, including health related barriers, is key to long-term, inclusive prosperity for our region.

Offering meaningful support means redesigning the careers and employment support system to fully embrace an all-age, person-centred model. This is a systemic approach which considers an individual’s health needs, career ambitions and training requirements through innovative inter-agency working and co-design of interventions with communities.

To deliver better outcomes, the flagship Employment West Yorkshire programme, which delivers support in community settings for those looking to improve their labour market status, will be built on. This will also be explored through the lens of public service reform, such as changes to the benefits system or bespoke data-sharing agreements with government partners.

Through a person-centric approach the Combined Authority will:

• Create a joined-up, whole-systems approach to supporting residents and employers through the West Yorkshire Work and Health Partnership
• Deliver a Work, Health and Skills Plan in early 2025 to help more people stay well in work and help more people living with health conditions and disabilities into work
• At the most appropriate geographical level, tackle barriers keeping people out of work, particularly those who are ‘inactive’, and provide a clear pathway into long-term employment which fully considers the career ambitions of residents
• Equip employers with the right tools to offer good work, which are flexible enough to ensure health conditions and caring responsibilities do not limit opportunities for stability or progression
• Empower employers to offer fully inclusive employment through the Fair Work Charter and ensure employers are involved in the design and delivery of innovative approaches to employment support
• Utilise the Mayor’s Inclusivity Champion (IC) to champion the Fair Work Charter and support members to embed inclusive practices. The Combined Authority will monitor this via the IC workplan and track progress
• Build on the pioneering creative health system in partnership with the Integrated Care Board. The system brings together the Integrated Care Board and creative freelancers to embed proven and preventative approaches to health and wellbeing

A new all-age careers service

The Combined Authority wants to align and integrate employment support. It will do this through a regionally coordinated and locally delivered all-age careers service. The service will become the entrance point to a seamless skills, employment and career system rooted in the regional economy.

Careers advice and guidance will be vital to achieve an improved match between people, skills development and employer needs. It will improve connections and pathways between employment support, skills and ancillary services like healthcare.

A place-based all-age career service will simplify navigation of the complex technical education system. It will create clear visibility of pathways available to young people and adults from all backgrounds. It will support individuals at key transition points to take up qualifications, upskill and reskill to access high-quality work.

The service will be co-designed with local authorities, wider partners and service users. It will take a person-centred, all-age approach, with a universal offer accessible for the benefits of all residents, paired with a targeted offer for those facing disadvantage or complex barriers.

Innovative digital solutions will match employers and education providers to scale-up career initiatives and work placements. AI-enhanced careers advice and guidance will simplify how learners navigate their options.

The Combined Authority is responsible for around £80 million per year of devolved adult skills funding. Learning programmes are accessible in over 450 locations across West Yorkshire. Local decision-making has led to more residents from acutely disadvantaged areas and a more diverse demographic being supported in learning.

West Yorkshire is home to a diverse, complementary skills and training landscape. The region boasts seven further education colleges, including one of the largest in the UK, the smallest in the UK and the only specialist construction college in England. It also boasts outstanding adult skills provision in local authorities, a leading independent training provider network and a community-centric voluntary sector.

However, the Combined Authority is currently administering five different funding streams. This adds bureaucracy to assurance and delivery. The system is not efficient and does not support residents to progress through individualised pathways. Full devolution of employment, skills and careers funding to West Yorkshire as part of an integrated single settlement will deliver a holistic and seamless adult skills offer that meets individual and economic need.

A single settlement would enable guaranteed access to a full Level 3 qualification for all residents who want it. This will allow people to move to higher-level skills, particularly the region’s most disadvantaged residents and those from minority backgrounds.

The West Yorkshire Promise will ensure students, learners and residents across the region can develop the essential employability skills needed to succeed in work, such as communication, teamwork and problem-solving. The West Yorkshire Promise will be a vital tool in ensuring West Yorkshire is a region of learning, where skills and training are the foundation of growth.

The West Yorkshire Promise will be widely recognised and accepted. It will help residents to develop and show the skills needed for the modern workplace, while ensuring that employers have access to the best talent the region has to offer. As part of the West Yorkshire Promise, the Combined authority will guarantee internships, placements or opportunities for work experience for residents, giving them a vital leg-up into the jobs market.

West Yorkshire’s self-contained labour market is well-suited to trial innovative approaches to enriching education, raising aspiration and stoking ambition, to ensure learners are supported to thrive.

To support wider ambitions and a child-first approach to policy, a children’s panel will be established providing a structured mechanism for consistent engagement in policy development and delivery.

Further enrichment activities will include:

• Introducing library access for all primary schools, giving young people the opportunity to build vital literacy skills from an early age, inspiring an interest in cultural activity and providing a hub for both guided and self-guided learning
• Inspiring the next generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs by promoting enterprise skills and sowing the seeds for a truly diverse business base that is founded on the principles of leadership and innovation.

Investment in skills and training is crucial to increasing productivity, both for employers and within the wider economy. Forty-six percent of employers believe they need to invest more in training, but employer investment in skills continues to fall annually.

Low employer investment in skills has its roots in different factors:

• Low investment confidence exacerbated by recent economic shocks
• A complex skills system that is difficult to navigate
• Restrictions placed on how and where employers can invest in skills and training

Restoring employer confidence in skills investment means simplifying the skills system to ensure it is easily navigable. The Combined Authority wants employers to see the fruits of their own investment. It aims to champion employers whose investments help further regional growth ambitions.

Recent Government policy announcements give further opportunity to promote skills investment. The Combined Authority is committed to working with Government to ensure Skills England meets the needs of West Yorkshire’s employers in simplifying the skills system and funding rules. It is also committed to ensuring the new Growth and Skills Levy provides appropriate flexibility for employer investment in skills and training to boost productivity, while also providing opportunities for upskilling lower-skilled employees.

Acute skills shortages threaten regional growth ambitions. Bottlenecks in the skills base and labour supply mean businesses often do not have access to the higher-level talent required to boost productivity.

Creating diverse pipelines of talent in the region and growing the labour pool means further growth opportunities for businesses and greater opportunities for meaningful employment and prosperity for residents.

The Combined Authority will work with employers to support a healthy workforce and address recruitment challenges. It will equip employers with the tools they need to ensure that those who are out of work, but who want to work, can get into and stay in work.

This will be delivered by:

• Co-designing innovative approaches for employer-responsive modular learning, providing rapid interventions for upskilling in growth areas
• Investing in upskilling and retraining in line with local economic priorities, ensuring high-growth clusters have access to talent and that the most disadvantaged residents have access to meaningful, good work.
• Attracting and retaining graduates in the region and supporting SMEs to recruit graduate talent, thereby unlocking highly skilled talent pipelines for huge swathes of the employer base
• Facilitating engagement with education at all levels, to ensure that providers and employers can collaborate on skills initiatives and develop innovative solutions to emerging skills needs.