Cabinet:

1)    Approved the draft Employment and Skills Plan (Appendix 1 of the report) for consultation with the local business community, Joint Venture partners and other key stakeholders.

2)    That a final version of the Employment and Skills Plan be presented to the Cabinet in April 2018 for adoption.

The Employment and Skills plan report was presented to Cabinet by the Cabinet Lead member for Environment and Community Safety, Councillor Osman Dervish.

 The local job market in havering is based predominantly on low skilled work and low wage levels.  There are pockets of long term unemployment and economic inactivity which leads to under employment, poor career progression and in work poverty.

The local job market is changing and as a result it is important that Havering residents are equipped with the right skills to meet demand and to adapt to future employment trends.  Businesses need to be able to access a work force that can meet their requirements and prosper economic growth.

It is also important to note that the Department for Work and Pension’s (DWP) mainstream programmes have been developed nationally with very limited input from Local Authorities.  This Plan will allow Havering to tailor input appropriate to the local need of the Borough.

Together with the Financial Inclusion Strategy there are a number of plans and strategies in place to prevent and mitigate the effects of deprivation and poverty.  The Plan should therefore be read alongside other related documents.  There is not currently a strategy in place to address issues relating to unemployment and underemployment.  As a result the Council commissioned consultants to develop this Plan which is commended to Cabinet for approval in draft form to return back to Cabinet in April for the final document to be considered.

Cabinet:

1)    Approved the draft Employment and Skills Plan (Appendix 1 of the report) for consultation with the local business community, Joint Venture partners and other key stakeholders.

2)    Agreed that a final version of the Employment and Skills Plan be presented to the Cabinet in April 2018 for adoption.