SOUTH EAST ACCESS TO EMPLOYMENT GROUP AEG

1
SOUTH EAST ACCESS TO EMPLOYMENT GROUP (AEG)

• RELATIONSHIP TO THE SPARKBROOK DISTRICT PROPERITY
  THEME GROUP

2
WHAT I WILL COVER

• What are AEGs ?
• South East AEG
• Area Profile Action Plan
• Co-ordination of Mainstream activities
• New initiatives
• Relationship with District Structures
• What next ?

3
WHAT ARE ACCESS TO EMPLOYMENT GROUPS ?

• Local co-ordination and joint working forum for
  employment support service providers
• Set up by the Birmingham Solihull Employment
  Strategy Group on behalf of the Birmingham
  Strategic Partnership

4
WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP IN BIRMINGHAM
5
Where are the AEGs ?

• North West Birmingham AEG
• Aston North AEG
• Central Ladywood AEG
• Nechells, Small Heath Washwood Heath AEG
• South West AEG
• South East AEG
• North Outer East AEG

6
AEG Membership

• Job Centre Plus (Centre Managers and Specialist
  Employment Advisers)
• Birmingham City Council (Regeneration teams and
  ward support staff)
• Connexions
• Birmingham Solihull Learning Skills Council
• Employment Zone providers
• Action Teams for Jobs providers
• ESF Co-financing programme providers
• Area Based Initiatives (eg SRB 6, Aston Pride)
• Community sector organisations

7
AEG aims

• Create a local environment where unemployed, (and
  economically inactive) people (particularly those
  from disproportionately excluded groups) can
  access the right type of employment support at
  the right time to enable them to progress towards
  employment

8
AEG aims

• Act as a mechanism for linking employment support
  providers to key development sites and demand
  led-initiatives (eg Employment Hubs) to assist
  with the progression of their clients into
  employment opportunities.

9
AEG aims

• Produce area profiles and action plans to inform
  the work of mainstream service providers, and to
  identify and seek to address gaps in existing
  employment support services
• Develop local websites through which providers
  can map and share information on services and
  events

10
South East AEG Area Profile

• Employment Opportunities
• 40,400 people work in Sparkbrook (3rd largest
  district workforce in city)
• District employment growth rate 1998 2002 was
  6 (city average was 3.3)
• Manufacturing 25 Service sector 70
• Annual vacancies in area through staff turnover
  9,943
• Sparkbrook District employment forecast to
  increase slightly by 2015. However, Sparkbrook
  ward forecast to lose 583 jobs by 2015 due to
  current reliance on declining manufacturing
  industry

• Labour Supply
• Total district population in 2003 was 117,507,
  but working age population is 67,097 (57 )
• 63 of working age population is from BME
  communities (Pakistani group making up 37 of the
  District working age population)
• August 2004 District JSA claimant (unemployment)
  rate was 11.2 (just over 5,000 individuals)
  (city average 7.6)
• Worklessness 33 of District working age
  population are workless and in receipt of
  benefit. (City average 24)

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South East AEG Area Profile

• Skills qualifications
• 44 of Sparkbrook District working age population
  have no qualifications. (city average 37)
• 36 of Sparkbrook District working age population
  are qualified to NVQ level 1-3 (below city
  average which is 40 )
• NVQ 4-5 attainment rate in the district is 14
  (2nd lowest rate of all districts. Birmingham
  average is 17)

• Wealth Income
• 45 of households in the Sparkbrook District
  have an income of less than 15,000 pa.
• Sparkbrook District average household income is
  20,900 compared with a city average of 25,300.

12
SEAEG Action Plan Priorities

• Promotion of and recruitment to IMI ,
  Eastside and UHB opportunities (when Available)
• Links with Local traders/ local centres
  around recruitment (eg ABRA and Balti triangle)
• Sector focused recruitment particularly
  Health Social care, retail catering and
  Construction for BME communities
• Social enterprise and Intermediate Labour
  market solutions
•  
• Street adviser/ outreach models of
  delivery
•  

13
SEAEG Target communities

• Unemployed (or inappropriately employed)
  Graduates from under-represented communities
• Unskilled and those with no qualifications
•  Family credit / Incapacity benefit claimants
• Young people
• BME communities particularly, Yemeni, Pakistani
  communities
• Incoming communities/ refugees, particularly
  Somalian East African communities
• NEET Group (not engaged in Employment or
  training)

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Co-ordination of mainstream Employment support
activities

• BCC ESF Co-financing (egIn 2004/05 768 district
  residents were beneficiaries of this programme.
  113 into employment, 48 into further training.)
• Employment Zone
• Action Teams for Jobs
• Job Centre Plus Mainstream services ESF
• LSC Mainstream funding ESF
• Connexions

15
New/ Specific Initiatives from AEG members

• Jobs Fairs
• Self employment / Business awareness seminars
• ABRA recruitment
• Workwise
• Refugee Pilot projects (Somalian)
• Website

16
New/ specific Initiatives from AEG members

• Jericho Community Business
• IAG outreach in Fox Hollies
• Street Advisers Project

17
Relationship with District Structures

• AEG Nominees to Prosperity theme panel
• Respond to Prosperity action accounts
• Develop, support and promote new employment
  support activity in line with District plan
• Create links to key Employment opportunities
  through Hubs eg Eastside, UHB, IMI Witton

18
What next ?

• Better alignment and targetting of existing
  programmes toward District plan priorities
• Develop NRF Commissioning approach for Employment
  projects ?
• Develop links to local employers
• Develop alignment with other initiatives (eg
  Fair Cities, Enterprising Communities)