How to tackle worklessness was on the agenda at Weymouth & Portland Borough Council today. (4/11)
A Worklessness Review, which was carried out to find ways of improving employment opportunities and boosting the borough’s economy, was examined by the council’s Management Committee.
The committee backed a raft of recommendations drawn-up by the Worklessness Working Group to tackle the problem of joblessness.
Many of these recommendations will be implemented under the new Workforce Skills Plan 2014-2017.
This plan, which was drawn-up by Weymouth & Portland Borough Council and West Dorset District Council, aims to improve the skills of people who are in work, those who are currently unemployed and young people who will be entering the work force in the future.
Ray Nowak, Economic Development Brief Holder for Weymouth & Portland Borough Council, said: “We have examined the problem of joblessness in great detail so we can better understand how to improve the skills and prosperity of our local workforce.”
Under the Workforce Skills Plan 2014-2017, Weymouth & Portland Borough Council will be working with the Employment and Skills Board, as part of the Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership and with Dorset colleges, schools and other training providers to set out how to improve training opportunities. Plans include:
- Extending apprenticeship schemes
- Increasing online training opportunities
- Arranging more student workshops at local businesses
- Improving the Careers College, partly by providing better online information
The Careers College is an independently funded event which offers more than 60 workshops, some in trades like building or plumbing, to 2,500 Year 9 and 10 students (13 to 15-year-olds).
Increasing the number of apprenticeships helps improve the skills of the local workforce and also encourages skilled people to stay in the area, as research shows about 70 per cent of apprentices remain with the employer that trained them.
Careful analysis of the local job market, economy, employment figures and deprivation levels were carried out before the Workforce Skills Plan was drawn-up. More information and a copy of the plan is available online at:
https://www.dorsetforyou.com/workforce-skills-plan
More information about economic regeneration in Weymouth and Portland is available here:
https://www.dorsetforyou.com/economic-regeneration/west-dorset-and-weymouth-and-portland
