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Decision Maker: Executive Councillor for Transformation
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: Yes
Is subject to call in?: No
To consider the proposed Cambridge City Council
Apprenticeship Strategy 2020.
To strengthen and build on the current successes of the
Council’s Apprenticeship Scheme, by broadening the types of apprenticeships
available to existing employees and new apprentice recruits.
For Council services to plan for and utilise apprenticeships
more to support succession planning, recruiting to hard-to-fill vacancies, and
attracting more younger people to the work for the Council.
To consider a pilot programme beginning in 2020/21 which would see the transference of up to 10% p.a. (approx. £12,000) of the Council’s apprenticeship levy to local SMEs, charitable and not for profit organisations.
Matter for
Decision
The report proposed a new
revised Cambridge City Council ‘Apprenticeship Strategy 2020’ to replace the
existing Apprenticeship Strategy approved at the Strategy and Resources
Scrutiny Committee in March 2017.
Decision
of Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources
i.
Approved the proposed measures for a revised
Cambridge City Council Apprenticeship Strategy 2020.
ii.
Agreed to consider a new provision for the
transference of up to 10% p.a. to local SMEs, charitable and not for profit
organisations as a pilot during 2020/21. This could be achieved by either
working directly with external organisations or through the exiting schemes
such as the Cambridge & Peterborough’s Apprenticeship Levy Pooling Service
which supports local business to take on apprentices.
Reason for the Decision
As set out in the Officer’s report.
Any Alternative Options Considered and Rejected
Not applicable.
Scrutiny Considerations
The Committee received a report from the Organisational Development Manager.
The Committee made the following comments in
response to the report:
i.
Asked how easy it was to find apprentices for these
schemes particularly at entry level.
ii.
Welcomed the move away from using the levy on
management apprenticeships.
iii.
Apprenticeships were going to be difficult for
people to find, particularly school leavers in the future, especially in the
current conditions.
iv.
Believed over the next two years the council’s
focus on the use of apprenticeships should be coupled with recruitment rather
than internal development. The priority for the community at large was for
people to enter the labour market. If there was any levy left the remainder
could be put into the levy pool and provide support for SME business,
charitable and non-profit organisations who had a recruitment plan for
sustainable employment.
v.
Queried when the absolute deadline was to a make a
final decision regarding the apprenticeship strategy?
The Organisational Development Manager said the following in response to Members’
questions:
i.
Would expect several applicants for each
apprenticeship, particularly given the current climate of the job market that
COVID-19 had caused.
ii.
The council’s focus was in three parts, the levy
transfer, supporting existing staff and new recruits. No level had been put on
support for new recruits and existing staff.
iii.
The Government allowed 25% of the total levy to be
transferred annually, approximately £30,000 could be transferable. The proposal is to transfer 10% approx.
£12,000 p.a.
iv.
The Council pays £120,000 to £100,000 into the
apprenticeship levy annually which lasts two years. This is a rolling programme
with each month’s payment expiring after 24 months.
v.
It would be best to make the decision as soon as
possible so that the funds could be transferred.
The Executive
Councillor for Finance and Resources responded with the following comments:
i.
That the
apprenticeship levy was for training and not for apprenticeship themselves.
Recognising this, the committee should think about the impact on the voluntary
sector, SME’s and non-profit organisations who could make use of the levy.
ii.
Consideration
had been given to put 25% immediately into this sector but felt emphasis should
be for the city council to develop its own apprentices first. This would allow
those organisations the opportunity to develop apprenticeship if appropriate or
express an interest. Salary costs would also have to be picked up by the
businesses as the levy did not cover this cost.
iii.
Believed
there had an issue in the past in finding the appropriate training scheme for
SME’s.
iv.
The work
that the levy had been proposed would see an increase in manual trades that
traditionally had not been offered and was what the apprenticeship scheme was
for. The scheme would be reviewed on a regular basis it could be possible that
the transference of the Council’s apprenticeship levy to local businesses,
charitable and not for profit organisations could be increased in future.
Councillor Bick proposed and Councillor Dalzell seconded an additional
recommendation:
NOTE the report and proposals
RECOMMEND a rethink of the proposed strategy applicable to apprentice
starts over the next two years in the light of the post pandemic depression,
with a view to emphasising the use of apprenticeships to improve recruitment
offers, potentially sharing an increased surplus from the council with local
SMEs, charitable and Not For Profit organisations who provide sustainable,
recruitment-based business plans
AGREE a modified version of the strategy through the procedure for an
urgent decision
The additional
recommendation was lost by 2 votes to 4.
The Committee resolved by 4 votes to 0 to endorse the
recommendations.
The Executive Councillor approved the recommendations.
Conflicts of Interest Declared by the Executive Councillor
(and any Dispensations Granted)
No conflicts of interest
were declared by the Executive Councillor.
Publication date: 24/09/2020
Date of decision: 06/07/2020