From Poverty to Prosperity

1
From Poverty to Prosperity

• 10 February 2009

Sheila Davies Director of Development
Regeneration, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough
Council
2
Current Unemployment National Average 5.1 (Dec
07)

• Blaenau Gwent 8.4
• Bridgend 8.5
• Caerphilly 6.5
• Merthyr Tydfil 10.2
• RCT 5.3
• Torfaen 5.3

3
Current Economic Inactivity Rate National
Average 24.5 (Dec 07)

• Blaenau Gwent 29.1
• Bridgend 23.9
• Caerphilly 28.8
• Merthyr Tydfil 28.3
• RCT 26.0
• Torfaen 26.6

4
Growing Sectors

• Education
• Health Social Work
• Recreation Cultural Activities
• Hotels Restaurants
• Knowledge based services
• Construction

5
Big Issue?

• Supply and demand
• Skill levels
• Health Levels

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Macro Level

• High level of economically inactive in age bands
  16-24 40.4 and
• 25-49 24.6
• Need to focus on health care
• Followed by training / upskilling / re-skilling

7
Sectoral Level

• Valley Growth sectors
• Built Environment
• Care
• Cultural Creative Industries
• Retail Hospitality

8
Future Opportunities

• Major Physical Regeneration investment plans for
  Valley Town Centres
• Major Housing Investment (WHQS)
• Major Focus on Child Poverty and Economic
  Inactivity

9
Future Opportunities Elsewhere

• Cardiff St Davids II Sports Village
• St Athan Major Defence Training Facility
• Heads of the Valleys big push for
  leisure/recreation/tourism/retail

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New Opportunities New Jobs

• Theory
• v
• Practice

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How Do We Tackle This?

• Economic Regeneration Partnership
• Children and Young Peoples Partnership
• Health, Well Being Social Care Partnership

12
Joint partnership group Learning for Work
Group
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Learning for Work Group

• Task Finish Groups for each growth sector
• E.g. Retail Hospitality
• 3 Objectives
• Increase base skill provision within employment
• Create and increase pathways into and within
  employment
• Develop projects that engage the economically
  inactive and unemployed to prepare them for work

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New Developments

• Major New EU Funding Programmes-
• Bridges into Work
• Genesis
• Want 2 Work
• Job-Match

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Conclusion

• Working Together to Increase
• Quality of life