Swyddfa Cyllid Ewropeaidd Cymru

Welsh European Funding Office

Cynnydd Project Business Plan

Version: Submitted 30 September 2015

Lead Beneficiary: Pembrokeshire County Council

WEFO Project Development Officer: Nadine Young

Version Officer Submission Date 1.0 Helen Ross 30 04 15

2.1 Helen Ross 23.07.15 2.2 Helen Ross 30.09.15

Contents

Executive Summary

Section 1 – Core Criterion: Strategic Fit

1.1 Clearly demonstrate an alignment with the targeting principles and specific

objectives listed under the relevant EU Programme & Priority.

The Cynnydd Operation will align with the targeting principles and Specific Objectives of the West Wales & the Valleys ESF (2014 – 2020) Priority Axis 3 – Youth Employment and Attainment. It will specifically focus on Specific Objective 2: To reduce the number of those at risk of becoming NEET, amongst 11-24 year olds by targeting young people most at risk of disengaging from education and by association, at highest risk of becoming NEET. Cynnydd will provide a range of interventions which will complement and add value, but do not duplicate mainstream services managed by Engagement and Progression Co-ordinators (EPCs) in the delivery of the Youth Engagement & Progression Framework (YEPF) across the ERW Region, comprising the Local Authority areas of Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire, and Swansea under the West Wales & the Valleys ESF Operational Programme, with Powys applying under the East Wales ESF Operational Programme. The Operation will:

Systematically identify and track young people most at risk of disengaging from education, and by association most at risk of becoming NEET; this cohort will include participants aged 11-24 years who have severe and complex needs that include a learning disability and/or Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

Facilitate appropriate information exchange about identified young people at risk of disengaging from education between education partners as set out in WASPI approved information sharing protocols;

Early engagement of identified potential participants within the Operation to combat disaffection;

Support participants in becoming less vulnerable to disengaging from their education by providing:

access to a broader and innovative range of learning options supporting the acquisition of both vocational and higher level skills and prevent young people from falling out of education;

access to a range of opportunities to better equip the young people with a skill set that will allow them to be more flexible and adaptable in a fast changing labour market and to gain sustainable employment, encouraging linkages between career choices and longer term labour market trends and tackling traditional gender stereotypes in employment;

individual learner support (mentoring, coaching, counselling and advocacy where appropriate) to remove barriers to learning, and to help create learner confidence and independence in addition to learning- and work-readiness;

targeted support to enable successful transition between differing education Key Stages (KS2 into KS3, KS3 into KS4, KS4 into KS5 and into wider post-16 pathways).

The operation will assist young people in better understanding the needs of employers and the workplace, enable them to make smarter and more informed choices about their own career pathways, and motivate positive and continued engagement and progression.

1.2 How the operation will:

1.2.1 Contribute towards delivering transformational change in at least one of the ten economic opportunities identified in the EPF;

The Economic Prioritization Framework (EPF) seeks to identify the broader economic activities taking place in the Welsh economy in order that all EU funding operations will act in support of strategic investments. The Cynnydd Project in South Wales will complement existing capability building in relation to the seven thematic Economic Priorities by stimulating the supply of trained or suitably qualified young people entering the labour market able to capitalise on replacement demand-led opportunities as well as areas of new job growth. The Project will use ESF to provide support to young people who need additional guidance and need to be engaged in additional curricula activities and training which will help to guide them towards making decisions about their future career paths. These young people will ultimately be seeking to access the labour market across all of the industry sectors identified in the EPF, and many of their ancillary supply chain businesses – Energy, Food and Farming, Climate Change and Resource Efficiency, ICT and the Digital Economy, Advanced Manufacturing, Life Sciences and Health and Tourism, Recreation and Leisure. This will include a significant number of infrastructure projects which will be happening across the South West Wales area – this includes the 21st Century schools which the Welsh Government is supporting across Wales and other examples include: Swansea University’s new campus, Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay, opportunities in the Haven Waterway Enterprise Zone, electrification of the Great Western Mainline, Wave Energy Demonstration Zone and associated supply chains. The operation will engage employers from across all sectors. Reporting and monitoring mechanisms will be put in place to verify the alignment of these engagements relative to regional priorities and growth sector potential. Through utilising the established employer network that Careers Wales have developed, Labour Market Information and wider employers input, participants on the operation will be supported to understand the longer-term opportunities being created across Wales and in the regions. Participants will be supported to understand how proactively developing career management skills and making informed choices about their learning pathways at key transition points can enable them to move toward the career opportunities these investments will generate.

Young people who remain engaged in education and training, and are supported to raise their participation rates, are more likely to succeed in gaining qualification outcomes. By motivating young people to stay engaged and complete their qualifications this operation will support wider regional and national economic ambitions which rely on an up-skilled workforce. The 2014 UKCES Employer Perspective Survey found that around half of all employers also said that academic and vocational qualifications were ‘critical or significant’ when recruiting. What is more, when we look over time at previous survey results we find that the importance attached to both academic and vocational qualifications by employers has increased. This indicates that employers are becoming more demanding over time when recruiting staff, which has clear implications for young people in particular, and especially those accessing employment for the first time. It is particularly important that labour market entrants understand the role that their qualifications will play in helping them get into work and are equipped with core skills, experience of the workplace and appropriate social skills in order to secure entry to employment.

1.2.2 Respond to the demand drivers described under the relevant economic opportunities in the EPF

The operation will respond to many of the ‘demand drivers’ identified under the economic opportunities in the EPF, however, the impact of the project will not be direct as it is concerned with young people not yet in the workplace. The Cynnydd Project is more concerned to ensure that Wales has the widest possible workforce available to engage in these industry sectors. The operation will invest in young people to try to secure their futures but in the longer term, the actions are aiming to ensure that Wales has a sustainable workforce for the next forty years. The operation will complement existing capability building in relation to regional priorities by stimulating the supply of trained or suitably qualified young people entering the labour market by using professionally qualified advisors to raise young people’s awareness of the opportunities that are available. Many of the investments which will be made through the ERDF funding programmes, and in the wider context across Wales which are highlighted in the EPF, identify shorter term job creation through the delivery of schemes but which result in longer term economic development. Relevant regional economic opportunities include (not exhaustive merely illustrations):

Improving Connectivity – developments relevant to the area are planned for road, rail and ports in a number of areas including Swansea, Port Talbot, Port of Milford Haven / Pembroke Dock.

Capital Investment across the area will include schools and FE / HE buildings, business parks, Swansea City Centre and many other mixed use developments which will include retail, leisure, residential also.

There are further opportunities for job creation at a local level in indigenous SMEs who are involved in the following industries. There may well be further supply chain jobs connected to these SMEs and also Inward Investment opportunities:

Site specific investment will cover developments across tourism, food and farming infrastructure and town centres.

The recently announced £685m investment by the Cypriot firm Egnedol at the former Gulf refinery at Waterston and the RNAD site at Blackbridge, Pembrokeshire.

Entrepreneurship work will be undertaken with groups of young people where appropriate. It is likely that this activity, coupled with investment in higher specification communications infrastructure which is becoming available across Wales, is a field where young people may be attracted to engage. Digital Connectivity – delivery of Superfast Broadband across the area, is a key development. The Operational Programme states that a key challenge will be the effective use of interventions to respond to labour market demands, to identify and exploit growth opportunities and continue to enhance competitiveness. Evidence shows that the fastest growing occupational groups require skills at National Qualification Framework Levels 3, 4 and above; the fastest declining occupations cluster around NQF Level 2 and below. Across the operation’s phases participants will be helped to understand the importance of progression and engagement in this context and will be supported to raise their aspirations and achievement goals. Where some of the young people have been at high risk of becoming NEET but are actually very capable academically, the EPF identifies many more opportunities for those who wish to continue into Higher Education and seek careers in the following sectors:

Life Science Developments in Swansea where a number of Higher Education projects are identified.

Advanced Manufacturing Developments are planned in Swansea linked to the new Swansea University Campus and in the heart of the steel industry in Port Talbot the TWI Technology Centre.

Energy Developments in Swansea - Swansea Tidal Lagoon, and in Pembrokeshire – DeltaStream, Ramsey Sound Tidal Project.

STEM skills will be vital to access many areas of future growth and employment and this operation will actively support wider efforts to promote STEM subjects and the opportunities and career routes which can be opened up by making learning choices involving science, engineering and maths. By working with participants to help them make connections between school-based subjects and future job opportunities, the operation will support wider efforts to engage and promote STEM choices. Initial discussions have been held with STEM Cymru and these will be progressed further to ensure appropriate cross-referral mechanisms are in place. 1.2.3 Add value to and not duplicate the existing expertise and capability described under the relevant economic opportunities in the EPF

The project will operate at a local level within each of the five participating local authorities, dealing with young people who are mainly school based and will not cross over any of the significant areas of economic opportunity identified in the EPF. The value added that takes place will be through the provision of activities which schools cannot currently undertake to help those young people who are facing barriers to their learning progression.

1.3 Clearly demonstrate an alignment with the relevant Welsh Government

policies.

Cynnydd will align with, and support the implementation of a number of key relevant Welsh Government Policies across the ERW Region: The Youth Engagement & Progression Framework1

The Operation’s key business driver is the YEPF. It aligns with the Framework’s Key Elements:

Early Identification - Each Local Authority area has benefitted from the adoption of the Vulnerability Assessment Profile developed successfully by Swansea. Each LA has developed the VAP on a number of different software platforms; there is the acknowledgement that the ERW Region will work towards a single platform during the life of the Cynnydd Operation, and this is written into the ERW Business Plan 2015-1018. Each EPC manages the VAP caseload on a LA basis. It is recognised that the VAP does not identify all vulnerable young people, and that those that are identified by the VAP as potentially the most vulnerable to disengage are in fact progressing well with their education. As such, participants in the Operation will be identified by a combination of VAP-generated data and professional dialogue with appropriate school (including Special Schools) and FE College staff. The management and operation of the VAP will not result in any operational expenditure.

Brokerage - The signposting and brokerage of Cynnydd opportunities will be facilitated by EPCs through Youth Engagement brokerage meetings held within schools and FE Colleges across the region. In these meetings, the needs of the young person will be identified; should a referral to a Cynnydd operation be deemed beneficial to reducing the young person’s vulnerability to disengagement from education, then a named Lead Worker will be allocated, and the anticipated opportunity will be written into the young person’s Individual Education Plan. The Cynnydd opportunities will be delivered either by beneficiaries or from a framework of procured organisations/providers; these will constitute a “menu” of opportunities that might vary on a local basis.

Tracking Progress - Lead Workers will operate a Self-Efficacy Template (SET) to measure distance travelled by the young person as they progress through the Operation (see Appendix 2). This SET will be completed by the young person as they start and complete their engagement with the Operation; it is also anticipated that if young people are engaged with the Operation for more than 6 months that they will complete the SET on an interim (quarterly) basis. In

1 Youth engagement and progression framework Implementation Plan, Welsh Government 2013 ISBN 978 1

4734 0268 3

addition, the learner’s vulnerability might also be indicated and tracked by data captured by the VAP e.g. attendance, behaviour, exclusions.

Outcomes sought to claim a participant will be measured in three areas, attendance, behaviour and attainment:

Attendance:

Measured at start and end of intervention

Behaviour:

Number of exclusions

Number of exclusion days

Either a reduction in the rate of either or, no worsening of exclusions

Attainment:

Key stage 3:

Reading and Numeracy Test scores (comparison year on year)

Gaining 1 or more DAQW qualification directly through the Operation (where appropriate)

Key Stage 4:

Attaining Level 1 or L2i; Capped wider points (WBQ “included” and capped 9 from 2017)

Gaining 1 or more DAQW qualification directly through the Operation

Post 16:

Successful completion of Learning Area Programme

Re-tiering from Tier 4 into Tier 5.

Provision - Each EPC has undertaken a provision mapping exercise; this has exposed additional local needs that constitute the support and provision opportunities that comprise the Cynnydd Operation. This process will be further discussed in section 2.1.2.3.

Employability - This is the least developed strand in the region, matching the findings of recent Welsh Government commissioned research2. Cynnydd will offer additional targeted engagement opportunities and support packages to engage vulnerable young people. The activities offered through the operation by Careers Wales will add a significant strength in delivering employability linked opportunities to re-engage participants.

2 Formative Evaluation of the Youth Engagement & Progression Framework- Interim Findings, Welsh

Government Social Research Summary 107/2014.

Qualified for Life3

In Qualified for Life, the Welsh Government articulates its vision for young people in Wales to experience a teaching and learning that inspires them to succeed in a collaborative education community where the potential of every young person is actively developed. Its four principal Strategic Objectives are: 1. An excellent professional workforce with strong pedagogy based on an

understanding of what works.

2. A curriculum which is engaging and attractive to children and young people and which develops within them an independent ability to apply knowledge and skills.

3. The qualifications young people achieve are nationally and internationally respected and act as a credible passport to their future learning and employment.

4. Leaders of education at every level working together in a self-improving system, providing mutual support and challenge to raise standards in all schools.

Cynnydd will provide a range of interventions which will complement and add value, but will not duplicate mainstream services aligned to Qualified for Life in the following areas:

a) By supporting the needs of young people at most risk from disengaging

from education (Qualified for Life Strategic Objective 2)

b) Offering additional literacy and numeracy support and opportunities

(Qualified for Life Strategic Objective 2)

c) Key Stage 4 Curricula for vulnerable and learners educated other than at

school (EOTAS) (Qualified for Life Strategic Objectives 2, 3)

d) Delivery of supported work experience programmes including extended

work placements for EOTAS pupils, in collaboration with the ESFR-funded

Activate Your Potential Operation (Qualified for Life Strategic Objectives 2,

3)

e) Enterprise Education (Qualified for Life Strategic Objectives 2, 3)

f) YEPF Lead Worker roles in school, FE colleges and the community

(Qualified for Life Strategic Objectives 2, 4).

Tackling Poverty Action Plan 2012-164

See Section 1.4.3. Youth Entrepreneurship Strategy5

3 Qualified for Life, An education improvement plan for 3 to 19 year-olds in Wales, Welsh Government, 2014.

4Tackling Poverty Action Plan2012-2016, Welsh Government 2012.

The Cynnydd Operation will support the Youth Entrepreneurship Strategy by boosting their entrepreneurial confidence so that in future they can play a full and effective part in the economy and community. One in seven in the Welsh workforce is self-employed, and the aim of the Operation is to use this future pathway as a hook to re-engage them. Through targeted interventions, it will be:

1. Engaging: by promoting the value of entrepreneurship

2. Empowering: by making young people more aware of entrepreneurship through hands-on learning experiences of pathways into self-employment. It will connect with young people to help them to realise their ambitions. The competition for employment has never been higher; by making participants become entrepreneurially aware and active, it is hoped that they will become more motivated in their education to succeed. Entrepreneurship is also a key component of the revised Essential and Employability Skills, and the new Welsh Baccalaureate qualification. Cynnydd will offer additional support to enable disengaged young people succeed in these key curriculum areas.

Policy Statement on Skills6

Cynnydd will support the development of the revised Essential and Employability Skills; these have been developed by Welsh Government in collaboration with employers and are a key business driver in the nation’s future economic and social wellbeing. Three broad areas will be supported:

1. Literacy and Numeracy Skills- so that young people have sufficient skill sets to enter the world of work or progress into further learning upon completing compulsory and post-compulsory education.

2. Qualifications and Curriculum pre-19- by providing participants with opportunities to access additional curricula in vocational areas linked to local and regional Labour Market demands; by providing “bridging” activities to enable young people to progress between providers and Key Stages, and to allow them to progress at their own pace.

3. Higher Level Skills- to offer targeted support to young people to ensure that, by the age of 19, a greater proportion should have achieved, or should be in the process of achieving a learning outcome at Level 3.

The National Youth Work Strategy for Wales 2014-20187

The Skills Implementation Plan sets out the actions to be taken in the implementation of the Policy Statement on Skills. The ambition is to develop a skills system in Wales that supports our future competitiveness, helps us evolve into a highly skilled society as well as tackle

5 Youth Entrepreneurship Strategy- An Action Plan for Wales 2010-15, Welsh Government, 2010.

6 Policy Statement on Skills. Welsh Government, 2014

7 The National Youth Work Strategy for Wales 2014-2018. Welsh Government, 2014.

poverty, and is sustainable against the backdrop of ever scarcer resources. The skills statement covers four priority areas for Welsh Government:

Skills for jobs and growth.

Skills that respond to local need.

Skills that employers value.

Skills for employment. The planned activities delivered as part of the operation will support all four of these priority areas. Through the use of LMI and through dialogue with employers and employees, participants will be supported to understand the longer-term opportunities being created across Wales and in the regions and how proactively developing career management skills and making informed choices about their learning pathways at key transition points can enable them to move toward the career opportunities these investments will generate. By bringing young people together with employers either through work experience, work based challenges or through coaching and mentoring activities with employers the operation will aim to develop key skills that young people need to be successful in the workplace. The Strategy recognises the importance of the crucial role that Youth Work makes in

supporting many young people to achieve their full potential. This work is traditionally

done through informal and non-formal education approaches, but the Strategy

identifies the need to strengthen the strategic relationship between youth work

organisations and formal education to support positive outcomes for young people in

mainstream education. The YEPF opens the way for the contribution of Youth Work

organisations to be better connected with mainstream education and broader

support services. One of the key implementations of the YEPF is the emergence of a

network of ‘lead workers’ providing continuity of support and contact to vulnerable

young people and supporting them to engage with and access wider support

services.

Cynnydd will provide additional funded opportunities to compliment this support work

in formal, non-formal and informal settings. It will also provide targeted opportunities

to young people (funded through the Operation), but with statutory and voluntary

youth sectors providing the “wrap around” support necessary for the vulnerable

young people to succeed.

ALN White Paper8

Cynnydd will address the key principles of the White Paper, where the best interests

of the learner is always the primary consideration, their opinions should always be

considered, and they should expect to have their needs identified and met. The

8 Written Statement- Legislative Proposals for Additional Learning Needs White Paper- Summary of Responses,

Huw Lewis, Minister for Education and Skills, October 2014.

Paper proposes the introduction of Individual Development Plans (IDPs) to replace

statements of Special Educational Needs (SEN). The Cynnydd Operation is central

is supporting the young person onto an appropriate pathway that meets their

individual needs, and is developed with them rather than for them.

Learning Pathways 14-199

Learning Pathways 14-19 aims to ensure that all 14-19 learners have a Learning

Pathway framework which helps them to achieve their potential. The Learning

pathway includes a balance of formal learning, wider choice, flexibility and a

Learning Core 14-19, together with a blend of learner support services to meet

individual learner needs. The Learning and Skills (Wales) Measure 2009

encapsulated the Learning Pathway framework in legislation.

Cynnydd will support the implementation of the Measure by offering additional choice

and learner support services at ages 11-24. The latter is important as the Children

and Young People Committee’s Inquiry into the Implementation of the Measure10

concluded that vulnerable learners continue to need even more support and

guidance that is currently being provided to them. Cynnydd will offer additional,

targeted learning coaching, personal support and careers information and guidance

(additional to statutory services required by the Measure11) through the allocation of

Lead Workers to support young vulnerable people to:

Set realistic goals;

Develop a learning pathway that meets their needs;

Develop an understanding of progression routes which will lead to fulfilling careers;

Overcome barriers to their learning;

Develop solutions to personal, social, emotional and physical problems including those which relate to behavioural, personal and social issues, and

Take advantage of opportunities to play an active role in their communities and contribute positively to community life.

Enhanced Volunteering

Welsh Government is committed to encouraging and enabling young people to volunteer12. Cynnydd will support this aim by:

Offering volunteering opportunities

9 Learning Pathways 14-19 Guidance II, National Assembly for Wales Circular Number 17/2006.

10 Inquiry into Implementation of the Learning and Skills (Wales) Measure 2009, National Assembly for Wales

Children and Young People Committee, May 2012.

11 Learning and Skills (Wales) Measure 2009, Learner support services and Learning Pathways Document

Guidance, Welsh Assembly Government Guidance Document No: 047/2011.

12 http://gov.wales/topics/people-and-communities/communities/voluntarysector/youth/?lang=en

Identifying volunteering opportunities to those young people who experience barriers, in terms of disadvantage, ability and ethnicity

Offering enhanced volunteering support to ensure that volunteering opportunities provide a high quality, positive experience.

Careers and the World of Work Framework13

The Framework is concerned with the relationships between young people, their

learning and the world of work. As suggested in the Framework, Cynnydd

opportunities will help young people participating to:

“explore the attitudes and values required for employability and lifelong learning

plan and manage their pathway through the range of opportunities in learning and work

make effective career choices

flourish in a variety of work settings

become motivated, set long term goals and overcome barriers

see the relevance of their studies to their life and work

develop skills required by employers

prepare for the challenges, choices and responsibilities of work and adult life”.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder Action Plan14,

Cynnydd will provide services to young people with ASD. The Welsh Government’s

Autistic Spectrum Disorder Action Plan was launched in 2008 and provides a

platform for development of service delivery across Wales. The Action Plan looks to

develop child to adult transition processes that are responsive, well supported

education and training for people with ASD, including availability of one to one

support. It underlines the need for appropriate opportunities and experiences for

young people with ASD to develop the core life and vocational skills and the need for

effective personal and learning coach support to achieve this. Work experience while

at school is seen as a stepping stone for people with ASD as it is for others, but

while recognising that placements need to be carefully planned and choices of work

placements realistic, with good support for employers in relation to young people’s

needs. The Operation’s activities are relevant to the ASD Autistic Spectrum Disorder

Action Plan. It will help young people and families engage in transition planning and

will actively promote person centred approaches to transition planning. Further,

Cynnydd will provide supported work experiences that meet the Action Plan’s goal of

being carefully planned, with choice of realistic work placements and with on-the-job

support for young people and employers together. Through this model young people

13

Careers and the World of Work: a Framework for 11- 19 year olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government,

2008.

14 Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Action Plan for Wales. Welsh Assembly Government, 2009.

with ASD and their families will be able to experience the recommended “supported

employment” approach and see future employment as a realistic option.

Rewriting the future: Raising ambition and attainment in Welsh schools15 The Cynnydd beneficiaries recognise the critical importance of operating within the

existing partnerships between Education providers. It recognises the importance of

seamless transition to enable effective progression from school to school and on into

further and higher education and the world of work. Cynnydd will directly support this

policy area by:

Helping vulnerable young people in their transition between Key Stages of their

education and between education providers;

Offering additional opportunities to vulnerable young people that will be

commissioned to meet the needs of that young person through multi-agency

panel meetings;

Contributing to literacy and numeracy “catch up programmes”;

Providing additional support and engagement opportunities to vulnerable young

people as they approach the end of their compulsory education.

Assisting Young People into Work16,17

Cynnydd will offer activities that will facilitate stronger links between schools, FE

Colleges and employers. The opportunities will raise participants’ awareness of the

skills that employers value, through practical, meaningful engagement with

employers. Employer Engagement has not only led to successful outcomes for

young people in terms of them reporting a better sense of the reality of the world of

work, but is also linked to reduced rates of young people becoming NEET18.

Cynnydd will offer tailored Work Experience placements of variable length, and will

offer wrap-around support to young people that are on the placements to ensure it is

meaningful, and linked to education outcomes.

Cynnydd will also offer a range of Employer Engagement activities to support the

Youth Entrepreneurship Strategy, but also broaden the young person’s awareness of

the world of work through vocational taster sessions, visits to the workplace, mock

interviews and employer mentoring schemes.

15 Rewriting the future: Raising ambition and attainment in Welsh schools. Welsh Government, 2014. 16

Assisting Young People into Work. National Assembly for Wales, Enterprise and Business Committee, 2015

17 Written response to the Enterprise and Business Committee’s Report on Assisting Young People into Work by

the Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology, 2015.

18 Key issues in employer engagement in education: why it makes a difference and how to deliver at scale. Skills

Development Scotland, The Edge Foundation, 2014.

1.4 Provide an outline of how the operation intends to contribute towards the

Cross Cutting Themes (CCTs) of Equal Opportunities, Sustainable

Development and Tackling Poverty.

An outline of our approach to the CCTs is set out below. Greater detail on the operation’s contribution to CCTs will be provided in subsequent business plan stages. Equal Opportunities Cynnydd’s activities will be open to targeted young people within the Erw Region,

irrespective of race (including Gypsy Traveller young people), language, sex, sexual

orientation, disability, age, religion or belief.

The main objective of the Operation is to help young people who are most at risk of

becoming disengaged to remain engaged within education, training or employment

through providing a range of interventions. Cynnydd will provide a multi-agency

approach to supporting participants, putting in place provision that is best placed to

meet their needs. The delivery of the individual learning pathways will be supported

and delivered by a range of Delivery partners who will have the expertise and

experience to assist beneficiaries to overcome barriers to continued participation.

All participating local authorities have their own Strategic Equality Plans 2012-16

and equal opportunities policies which all activities and communications associated

with this project will adhere to. It will be a stipulation of the appointment of any third

party bodies that they also adhere to this policy.

This programme will be developed in line with the priority specific guidance on equal

opportunities, along with the key guidance document (including an emphasis on

bilingual provision).

Participation in the Operation’s activities will be monitored through the completion of

registration documents by participants, which will be used to gain information

regarding the individual’s characteristics.

Welsh Language - All participating beneficiaries will have their own Welsh

Language policies which all activities and communications associated with this

project will adhere to. It will be a stipulation of the appointment of any third party

bodies that they also adhere to this policy.

All provision and materials will be available bilingually, and accessibility issues will

be taken into account at all times to ensure equal access to all.

Sustainable Development - One Wales: One Planet19

The Welsh Government has a commitment to having sustainable development at its

heart, with development that meets the needs of the present without compromising

the ability of future generation to meet their own needs being central to this aim.

Furthermore, it means enhancing the social, economic and environmental wellbeing

of communities so that they create a better quality of life for their own and future

generations. A real commitment to good education for all is the basis for a strong,

prosperous and aspiring community.

All beneficiaries will have their own commitment to Sustainable Development which

all activities and communications associated with this project will adhere to. It will be

a stipulation of the appointment of any third party bodies that they also adhere to

these policies.

Cynnydd will address the policy’s aim of inspiring and educating young people to

develop their knowledge, values and skills so they can participate in decisions about

what affects them, and live more sustainably. It will support vulnerable young people

in the development of their Essential and Employability Skills, a key Welsh

Government initiative to preparing young people to be better prepared for future

learning and employment. This inevitably will have an impact on reducing the

number of unemployed young people in Wales and associated levels of poverty,

making communities more sustainable and resilient. Cynnydd will contribute to the

integrated portfolio of programmes and regional and local levels that will help young

people attain the skills necessary for their future employment opportunities. Cynnydd

will also compliment existing families First activities aimed at early identification and

intervention, including young people living in poverty.

Tackling Poverty

The formulation of Cynnydd has tackling poverty as a core aim. The development of

the Business Plan has taken the following Welsh Government Guidance and best

practice documents as necessary business drivers.

Cynnydd will support the implementation of the Tackling Poverty Action Plan20

across the ERW Region. Education has a fundamental role in helping lift people out

of poverty and in protecting those at risk of poverty and disadvantage. There is a

strong link between poor educational attainment, low skills and poor health and

wellbeing. Cynnydd will provide a range of interventions which will complement and

add value, but will not duplicate mainstream services aligned to the Tackling Poverty

Action Plan in the following strategic areas as identified in the Action Plan:

19

One Wales: One Planet. The Sustainable Development Annual Report 2012-2013. Welsh Government, 2013.

20Tackling Poverty Action Plan2012-2016, Welsh Government 2012.

Section 1: Preventing Poverty and making it less likely over the longer-term.

Cynnydd will offer additional targeted opportunities to raise aspiration, improve

standards in education; increase skill levels (including literacy and numeracy) and

reduce inequalities in health and wellbeing. It will provide additional support to young

people to help them overcome any barriers to their learning, and to encourage them

to remain engaged in their learning.

Section 2: Helping people to take up job opportunities and earn an income. Cynnydd

will support the development of Essential and Employability Skills; it will also offer

work-related opportunities, and supported work experience placements (a key route

to social mobility) to raise aspiration and enable young people to gain confidence for

them to enter into sustained employment.

Section 3: Action to mitigate the impact of poverty here and now. Cynnydd will offer

Financial Literacy to support young people become more independent with

managing their own financial situation.

Cynnydd will support the implementation of the following best practice areas in tackling poverty and disadvantage as identified by Estyn21 by:

Supporting a whole-school, strategic approach to tackling disadvantage

Using data to track the progress of disadvantaged learners

Focusing on the development of disadvantaged learners’ literacy and learning skills

Developing the social and emotional skills of disadvantaged learners

Improving the attendance, punctuality and behaviour of disadvantaged learners

Tailoring the curriculum to the needs of disadvantaged learners

Providing enriching experiences. Cynnydd will also support the following areas identified by Estyn22 to tackle deprivation through raising standards by:

prioritising tackling poverty and planning strategically to raise the performance of disadvantaged learners;

supporting the delivery of a systematic, coherent whole-school approach to supporting disadvantaged learners;

working alongside identified senior member of staff to lead and co-ordinate the work;

targeting support specifically at disadvantaged learners, particularly those that attain at average or above average levels;

matching support to the needs of individual learners;

monitoring the progress of disadvantaged learners;

identifying and support particularly disadvantaged learners that may not entitled to free school meals;

21

Effective Practice in Tackling Poverty and Disadvantage in Schools. Estyn, 2012.

22 Tackling Deprivation and Raising Standards. Estyn, 2014.

tailoring the curriculum and targeting out-of-school-hours learning;

attending to disadvantaged learners’ confidence, motivation and self-esteem;

ensuring there is additional support for learners’ social and emotional needs;

evaluating the impact of strategies to improve disadvantaged learners’ achievement and wellbeing;

make the most of community-based work so that it can impact on learners’ achievement;

supporting managing and co-ordinate multi-agency working;

targeting support for disadvantaged learners when moving between key stages of their education

Finally, Cynnydd will support the delivery of relevant best practice to reduce the impact of poverty on educational achievement as identified by the Wales Centre for Equity in Education 23 by:

providing opportunities to vulnerable young people to support the strategic planning to tackle the impact of poverty in schools and FE

using data to identify and support pupils who are falling behind

offering a range of additional opportunities to low-achieving pupils to improve their performance

supporting low achieving pupils to reach their target grades

1.5 Detail any planned or potential opportunities for integration with other

European Structural & Investment (ESI) funding programmes, such as ERDF,

ESF, EAFRD (Rural Development) or EMFF (Fisheries Fund).

ERDF - Once the operation has started there will be opportunities for project staff to meet with other operations, to discuss the possibility of identifying work placements for young people and / or opportunities for businesses to participate in employer engagement activities with the young people. ESF - With regard to other ESF operations there has been direct liaison (including working meetings) and information sharing with a number of other organisations who are progressing operations in the same priority with WEFO. The aim of working together is to ensure that there is no duplication of delivery and that where possible processes and procedures are consistent. These are listed here:

23

Reducing the impact of poverty on educational achievement – Policy Observatory Project report

and case studies (Wales Centre for Equity in Education, 2014)

Project Title Lead Beneficiary Target Participants

Contact taken place

CYNNYDD – East Wales

Powys County Council

Young People most at risk of becoming NEET

Working in parallel; Regular development meetings

TRAC 11 - 24 Denbighshire County Council

Young People most at risk of becoming NEET

Several direct meetings, regular liaison planned

INSPIRE 2 WORK

Blaenau Gwent CBC

Young People most at risk of becoming NEET

Several direct meetings, regular liaison planned

REAL OPPORTUNITIES - Activities now assimilated within Cynnydd

Caerphilly CBC Young people who have severe and complex needs incl. a learning disability and/or Autistic Spectrum Disorder

Information sharing; Cynnydd has incorporated this former planned Operation

Activate Your Potential - Activities now assimilated within Cynnydd

Welsh Government

Young People most at risk of becoming NEET

Several direct meetings; Cynnydd has incorporated the planned activities in this former Operation.

EAFRD & EMFF – These programmes are not yet formally launched and so project

development activity is not yet underway. When activity begins, again it will be

possible to hold discussions to identify whether there are any opportunities that can

be offered to help the young people taking part in the project.

1.6 Detail any planned or potential integration with Financial Instruments or other

EU funding streams such as the Interreg Cross Border, Transnational and

Interregional programmes, or the Horizon 2020 or LIFE+ programmes. Further

details on the other EU programmes available can be found here.

There is no planned integration with other EU funded programmes and we do not foresee any potential for any development work in these programmes. 1.7 Detail any planned or potential transnational activity within the operation.

We do not plan any transnational activity under this operation.

1.8 Provide detailed evidence of engagement with all potential joint beneficiaries

and stakeholders, including how this has helped shape the proposal. A list of

all individual stakeholders contacted should be provided, along with evidence

of the level of support (for example, via written correspondence). WEFO will

reserve the right to contact any listed stakeholder directly.

The Operation has benefitted from intense collaborative planning since October

2013. This work was initially led by the Erw Region 14-19 Education Sub-Group,

comprising 14-19 Lead Officers from each Local Authority area, and representatives

from partner organisations. The 14-19 networks in each local authority comprise

officers from Schools, FE, Work Based Training, Youth Service, Careers Wales, Job

Centre Plus, Third Sector, Communities First and Local Authority School

Improvement services. In October 2013, the officers comprising the Erw Region 14-

19 Education Sub-Group were:

Marcia Vale (Swansea)

Matt Morden (Carmarthenshire)

Freddy Greaves (Powys)

Sian Davies (NPT)

Elen James (Ceredigion)

Rob Hillier (Pembrokeshire)

Simon Jenkins (Gower College Swansea)

Del Thomas (Careers Wales)

Gaynor Griffiths (RLP).

The Erw 14-19 Education Sub-Group meets monthly, and has had ESF project

developments as a standing agenda item since October 2013. At the meeting on 10th

October 2013, each 14-19 co-ordinator was tasked with soliciting feedback from

their respective networks.

On 14th November 2013, the Erw 14-19 Education Sub-Group reconvened, with a

focus on ESF project development. Present were:

Sian Davies NPT; Marcia Vale Swansea; Helen Morgan West Wales European

Centre, Carms; Mike Griffiths Youth Service, Powys; Sarah Berry European Officer,

Pembrokeshire; Freddy Greaves Powys; Cath Morgan Pembrokeshire; Hefin Lloyd ,

SYO Carmarthenshire; Tina Grech Carmarthenshire; Rob Hillier Pembrokeshire; Ian

James, Jane Whitmore and Sian Bingham Swansea.`

The 14-19 Leads presented the needs of their respective networks. It was agreed

that these would be compiled into a regional document by Rob Hillier and Marcia

Vale, and this work was completed on 12th December 2013. Regional needs were

clustered into 5 work areas:

Targeted support

Alternative engagement activities

Work focussed and work experience

Flexible start pre-traineeship transition

Youth Engagement & Progression Framework Co-ordination and

Administration.

On 7th January 2014, this work was presented to the Erw Region 14-19 Education

Sub-Group, including wider representation from FE Colleges in the region. In

addition, feedback was solicited from the Engagement and Progression Co-

ordinators in the region, who are currently:

Mike Pritchard (Ceredigion)

Fiona Rogers (Carmarthenshire)

Liz Dennis (Neath Port Talbot)

Rob Hillier (Pembrokeshire)

Freddy Greaves (Powys)

Jo-Anne Walsh (Swansea).

In April 2014, the RLP asked for Expressions of Interest (EOIs) from partners to

articulate further work and priorities necessary to meet the needs of the embryonic

Regional Delivery Plan for Employment & Skills Task, including the strategic fit to the

ESF Priority 3 Youth Unemployment and Attainment; and the Swansea Bay City

Region Strategic Aims (see Section 1.9). Pembrokeshire, as lead Local Authority for

the region’s Welsh Government education grants took the lead in developing the

EOIs, which incorporated the previous work of the Erw 14-19 Education Sub-Group.

The multiagency Task and Finish Group comprised the following representatives:

James White (Pembrokeshire Local Authority, Chair)

Rob Hillier (Pembrokeshire Local Authority, 14-19)

Amanda Boyce (Futureworks - Work Based Training, Pembrokeshire Local

Authority)

Chris Birch (Pembrokeshire Local Authority, Adult Community Learning)

Sara Kenny (Job Centre Plus)

Lesley Clark (Careers Wales)

Sara Berry (SET Team, Pembrokeshire Local Authority)

Lee Hind (PAVS)

Gareth Bond (Pembrokeshire College)

Sian Thompson (Pembrokeshire College/Local Authority).

Two EOIs were submitted to the RLP in June 2014, namely:

Cynnydd (Purpose to provide alternative activities (through the Medium of Welsh

and EAL where appropriate) to engage 11 – 25 year old young people in learning

and training to aid progression into subsequent employment. Young people will be

aided in their access to provision (e.g. transport costs, ICT, equipment).

Symud ‘Mlan (Purpose to target support to 11-25 year old young people to raise

aspiration and to enable transition into skilled and highly skilled, high productivity

employment and self-employment and to also target support for those who are

disengaged and struggling). (Now renamed Cam Nesa’).

Further collaboration and development of ideas from a wide variety of partner

organisations took place in September 2014 and January 2015 (facilitated by the

RLP) in thematic brokerage seminars;

As a result of the latter, Cynnydd and Cam Nesa’ emerged as the two regional

operations to move forward to support the Regional Young People’s Framework, and

were submitted to WEFO in February 2015.

The Operation has established a Project Development Group whose membership

includes the following:

SWW ESF Youth Project Task & Finish Group - members

Rob Hillier Pembrokeshire County Council

Gwyn Evans Pembrokeshire County Council

Helen Ross Pembrokeshire County Council

Catherine Morgan Pembrokeshire County Council

Amanda Boyce Pembrokeshire County Council

James White Pembrokeshire County Council

Joni Hughes Powys County Council

Freddy Greaves Powys County Council

Marianne Evans Powys County Council

Mike Griffiths Powys County Council

Sian Pascoe City & County of Swansea

Mike Jones City & County of Swansea

Jan Jones Neath Port Talbot

Susan Chilcott Neath Port Talbot

E Dennis Neath Port Talbot

Elen James Ceredigion County Council

Mike Pritchard Ceredigion County Council

Gareth Rowlands Ceredigion County Council

Tina Grech Carms County Council

Matt Morden Carms County Council

Hefin Lloyd Carms County Council

Fiona Rogers Carms County Council

Becky Jeremy Powys County Council

Hannah Healy City & County of Swansea

Sian Davies Neath Port Talbot

Ruth Moore Erw

Kim Neyland RLP

Gareth Bond Pembrokeshire College

Simon Jenkins Gower College Swansea

Clive Ball NPTC Group

Jo-Ann Walsh Careers Wales/Swansea EPC

Subsequent to submitting Version 1.0 of this Business Plan to WEFO in April 2015,

the Operation has held a number of meetings with Angela Kenvyn (Caerphilly

Borough Council) to incorporate the needs of the former Real Opportunities project

and also with members of DfES responsible for the Activate Your Potential project.

These activities have now been assimilated within the Cynnydd Operation.

1.9 In addition to evidencing the contribution of the proposed operation towards

the relevant regional opportunities identified in the EPF, the applicant should

provide details of full engagement with all relevant regional and thematic

groups or boards. As a minimum, WEFO would expect that the Swansea Bay

and Cardiff City Region boards and the North Wales Economic Ambition

board would be consulted and evidence provided as to how the proposed

operation would add value to the existing and/or planned investments in the

region. Similar evidence should be provided that your proposal aligns with all

relevant regional and thematic strategies. Such evidence will not provide any

guarantee of a funding award or progression to the next criterion assessment

stage.

The Regional Learning Partnership South West and Central Wales (RLP) is

facilitating the delivery of the Regional Delivery Plan for Employment and Skills24.

The plan is being developed in response to the Welsh Government’s future strategic

approach to the employment and skills agenda and to support the work of the

Swansea Bay City Region and the Growing Mid Wales Partnership. The plan’s

objective is to enable the provision of skills and learning to meet the needs of the

region’s economic and labour market over the next ten years and beyond. The plan

has been developed under the guidance of the RLP Strategy Group, supported by

the RLP Steering Group and the Regional Delivery Plan for Employment & Skills

Task & Finish Group. A Strategic Employer Reference Group (SERG) has also been

established in order to strengthen the link with regional employers and is chaired by

a board member of the Swansea Bay City Region. The SERG, led by regional

employers, will review, challenge, influence and inform the ongoing development of

the plan. The RLP is represented by Strategy Group Members on both the Swansea

Bay City Region Board and the Growing Mid Wales Partnership.

24 Regional Delivery Plan for Employment and Skills for South West and Central Wales 2014-2020. Regional Learning Partnership, Fourth Version- March 2015.

Cynnydd will support the implementation of the Regional Delivery Plan for Employment and Skills in the following Priority Areas:

Increasing the proportion of the workforce with higher level skills;

Ensuring future skills supply is flexible and responsive to the growth sectors identified in the economic data;

Addressing the low skills deficit evident in the attainment of qualifications, in particular those without formal qualifications;

Developing the entrepreneurial culture;

Increasing overall employment levels and addressing economic inactivity;

Cynnydd has engaged with the RLP at a number of levels during its formative

stages. This engagement has included:

The presence of RLP staff at ERW Region 14-19 Co-ordinator meetings specific

to ESF Operation developments over the last two years;

The submission of two “Expressions of Interest” (EOIs) to the RLP in June 2014

which detailed the vision of additional skills and activities required across the

region to address it’s skills needs, and additional provision required by young

people; these were the embryonic documents that led directly to the completion

of the Cynnydd and Cam Nesa’ (SO1 Operation) Operation Logic Tables.

Further collaboration and development of ideas from a wide variety of partner

organisations took place in September 2014 and January 2015 (facilitated by the

RLP) in thematic brokerage seminars;

As a result of the latter, Cynnydd and Cam Nesa’ emerged as the two regional

operations to move forward to support the Regional Young People’s Framework;

On 25th March 2015, following review by the RLP, written feedback was provided

to WEFO to advise that ‘Cynnydd’ has the support of the RLP and there is a

strategic fit with the Regional Delivery Plan. Comments provided to WEFO were

as follows:

o There is a strategic fit with the Regional Delivery Plan but there is

duplication or elements of duplication with other proposals or

organisational activities.

o Need to be clear on target groups – make sure target groups can follow

through to older age group. Need to demonstrate links to JCP services/ no

overlap and engagement with wider stakeholders. Elements of duplication

with Activate your Potential.

Rob Hillier is a member of the Regional Learning Partnership South West and

Central Wales Steering Group and will provide a direct link to the Operation as it

progresses;

ERW is also represented at the Regional Delivery Plan for Employment & Skills Task & Finish Group.

The Cynnydd operation has been developed mainly under the auspices of the ERW Region 14-19 Sub-group (Section 1.8). Both Cynnydd and Cam Nesa’ were scrutinised by the ERW Region Managing Director, and Directors of Education on 13th February 2015. The Directors of Education in each Local Authority area subsequently formally approved the projects to move to Business Planning stage in early April 2015. 1.10 The potential for any displacement of the private sector through the activities

to be funded must be highlighted and described.

We will fully engage with the private sector through the activities to be funded

through the Cynnydd Project. It will be necessary to engage with a variety of

providers from all sectors. Where the provision required to overcome a young

person’s individual needs, might best be delivered by a private, third or another

public sector body then it will be possible to facilitate this via a procured framework

of provision. The intention is to hold an open competition to identify a list of providers

who will be able to deliver discrete interventions when required. This will ensure that

the widest possible selection of support and activities are made available to the

young people who are most at risk of falling out of mainstream provision. The

Operation held two “meet the provider” events prior to publishing our procurement

framework.