Companies working on major projects jointly funded by the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership will in future have to sign up to a new Charter – ensuring the deal will also benefit jobs creation, training and smaller firms.

New buildings, roads, broadband network development and other essential infrastructure across Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire are jointly funded by millions of pounds in Government and European funding; managed by D2N2. The Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) of business, local authorities, skills and training providers, and community and voluntary groups, promotes economic growth and jobs creation across its area.

D2N2’s new ‘Procurement Charter’ will aim to ensure money spent in its catchment benefits as many businesses and people as possible, as well as helping the companies directly involved in projects turn a profit.

The Charter, chiefly aimed at the construction and related industries, ties into work already done by D2N2 through its previously announced:

• Employability Framework – Launched at D2N2’s 2015 Annual Conference on Tuesday (July 14), to get skills and training providers, and businesses, working more closely together on helping learners gain better experience of the working world.

• Provider Charter – Launched last April (2015), it asks businesses and training providers (including further education colleges) to sign up to collaborate on programmes which will teach those on them the knowledge needed to fill ‘skills gaps’ in local workforces.

• Sector Development Action Plan for Construction (published October 2014) – It sets out a strategy to help the construction sector in the D2N2 area flourish; particularly looking at training needs, and opportunities for small and medium sized companies to learn about and gain work from large, valuable building contracts.

• D2N2 Skills for Growth Strategy – Looking to improve skills and training provision in the D2N2 area, including apprenticeships, to help the Local Enterprise Partnership achieve its overarching goal of creating 55,000 new jobs in the area by 2023.

The Procurement Charter also builds on the national Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012; which encourages businesses and organisations putting out work contracts for tender to think more about using these to practically address social, economic and environmental needs.

D2N2’s primary funding for capital and infrastructure projects is its Local Growth Fund (LGF). In July 2014 D2N2 announced it had secured £174.4m from the Government’s LGF, to support projects aiding economic growth over six years. That money is due to unlock almost £380m of additional funds from local partners and business, making a total package for the area of £554.4m, up to 2021.

Businesses, local authorities and public sector bodies involved in projects receiving LGF or other funding through D2N2 will have to sign up to the commitments of its Procurement Charter. These will include measures designed to address at least some of the following issues:
• increasing the number of apprenticeships;
• black and ethnic minority worker recruitment;
• development of courses run by schools, colleges and other learning providers;
• employability, particularly among women returning to work, young people (especially NEETS, or those Not in Education, Employment or Training) and older workers;
• enhancing skills training within the construction and related sectors;
• improving science, technology, engineering and maths skills;
• rural workers having difficulty accessing employment due to travelling distance;
• people with complex needs facing long term unemployment;
• work experience for school age children.

David Ralph, Chief Executive for the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Significant funding comes through D2N2 for economic activity, and through our new Procurement Charter we will ensure this benefits as many businesses and communities in our area as possible.

“We are a private sector-led organisation but, as well as achieving a profit for the companies involved, the economic development we fund must also open up training opportunities for local workers, and enable small and medium-sized businesses to gain business from construction and regeneration happening on their doorstep.”

Initial work on the Procurement Charter was begun by Louise Townsend, of UK construction and infrastructure company Morgan Sindall plc, and the former Chair of D2N2’s Construction Sector Action Plan and Skills Sector advisory groups. Louise is now Sustainable Business Director at Morgan Sindall; responsible for ensuring its projects are carried out in a socially, economically and environmentally responsible manner.

Louise said: “This Charter will put money into the pockets of local small businesses and communities. SMEs are the engine room of the economy and it is entirely right that our SMEs benefit from this spending as much as possible.

“The publication of the Charter demonstrates the commitment of both the LEP and private businesses to delivering economic growth that has the greatest local impact. It is a crucial document which will give a great boost to the local economy.”

Those businesses and organisations signing up to the D2N2 Procurement Charter will share good practice. The Charter will be reviewed in 2017, to make sure that its commitments are being upheld and are having a positive impact in the D2N2 area.

Derbyshire County Council has launched a new programme that gives local businesses the chance to improve the health and happiness of their workforce.

The Healthy Workplaces Derbyshire is a free scheme that offers health and wellbeing support that is tailored to individual organisations’ needs.

Currently 16 local businesses, with over 5,000 staff, have already signed up to the scheme and more are being encouraged to get on board.

The Healthy Workplaces team work with organisations to identify ways to engage staff, support wellbeing and improve health.

Help and support is on offer and includes the following:

• Assessing an organisation’s current situation and highlighting key areas for change
• Supporting health and wellbeing in the workplace
• Putting in place long term solutions for preventing ill health
• Developing strategies and action plans for making improvements
• Providing information on local services
• Providing advice and support on mental health and wellbeing, healthy eating, physical activity, stop smoking support and alcohol and substance misuse
• Offering training opportunities

Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Communities Councillor Dave Allen said:

“Making sure that employees are healthy and happy is an important function of any business.”The Healthy Workplaces Derbyshire programme offers innovative solutions for employers who want to create a healthy and engaged workforce.

“The team provides help on a wide range of topics including mental wellbeing, healthy eating and physical activity.

“A healthy, energised and motivated workforce can lead to better business performance and a better working environment for everyone.

“We would encourage anyone who has a business in Derbyshire to get in touch and see how our team can help.”

The D2N2 Employability Framework aims to address the ‘mismatch’ between the employable skills young people leave schools, colleges and post-16 training programmes with, and the skills actually being sought by local employers.

By getting companies involved with those behind training and learning, it’s hoped to address issues such as youth unemployment and the ‘skills gap’ employers’ face, which slows the growth of their businesses.

D2N2’s aspirations for the Employability Framework is that over two years it will see every:

• young person in the D2N2 area leaving school or college, having experienced at least six ‘purposeful and impact measured’ interactions with an employer;
• young person having access to impartial, independent and personalised careers education;
• secondary school having access to a dedicated Employer Advisor, who will work with the school at a strategic level;
• secondary school and college with a governor; with oversight for monitoring and reviewing the impact and success to all students, in relation to careers, enterprise and employability;
• secondary school and college with access to up-to-date, user-friendly labour market intelligence specific to the D2N2 locality;
• secondary school and college committed to delivering the D2N2 Employability Framework.

The initiative was announced at the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership’s (LEP) 2015 Annual Conference today, held at the Chesterfield FC Proact Stadium. The LEP is a partnership of business, local authorities, skills and training providers, and community and voluntary groups, which promotes economic growth and jobs creation across Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

D2N2 and its partners for the Framework – the University of Derby and the Evolve Trust – developed it with the support of a Task Group including local authorities, businesses and business sector groups, schools and school partnerships, and the National Careers Service.

Fifty-six schools in the area also responded to a consultation. Almost half (46%) of these reported having ‘extensive’ or ‘very extensive’ networks with employers, but only 16% said employer engagement was a ‘top priority’ for them.

CAREERS Local, a £2million programme, will put parts of the D2N2 Employability Framework into action and provide support to young people at risk of becoming NEETs (Not in Education, Employment or Training). CAREERS Local will be funded from D2N2’s allocation of £214million in European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF), announced back in March (2015).

D2N2 will also look to support the work of the Careers and Enterprise Company, set up by the Government to back projects helping 12 to 18-year-olds access better careers advice.

The full strategy behind the Employability Framework can be read on the D2N2 LEP website at www.d2n2lep.org/skills/employability-framework.

Ian Greenaway – Employability Champion for D2N2’s Skills and Employment Commission, overseeing the Employability Framework – said: “Having a ‘shared language’ around employability for employers, young people, schools and advisors is vital. This is exactly what the Framework sets out to provide.

“It is a strategic response to address questions of employer demand and skills supply across the D2N2 area.  We hope our local businesses will engage with it, to help our young people become the workforce that they need.

“We have already had interest from a number of schools and employers in the D2N2 area in using the Employability Framework, and we are excited about the next steps.”

The initiative’s progress will be regularly monitored by the D2N2 Skills and Employment Commission to ensure it is having an impact on areas such as youth employment, career choice and pathways, and employers reporting fewer difficulties in recruiting young people with the right skills and behaviours.

Carole Ferria, Principal at The Nottingham Emmanuel School, added: “The D2N2 Employability Framework will give us a vehicle to enhance the work that we are doing with local employers to meet future skills shortages.”

To learn more about the work the D2N2 LEP does on skills and training go to website www.d2n2lep.org/skills