Agenda item

The Industrial Strategy implementation in Education is a joint enterprise delivered between the education team and the economy to ensure that children and young people have access to the opportunities within the White City innovation district and other parts of the local economy. The overall aim and objective are to ensure that Hammersmith and Fulham is a truly inclusive global economic hotspot.

Peter Haylock (Operational Director for Education and SEND) updated members on the progress of delivering the Industrial Strategy in Education, which was a lifetime approach to STEMMM skills under a cradle to adulthood offer. He then shared the progress made so far.

Referring to the conference with teachers co-hosted by Imperial College in July, the Chair said she was looking forward to seeing practical actions, like mentoring schemes and apprenticeship offer, which would be delivered through the Industrial Strategy in Education. Peter Haylock highlighted that after the conference, a number of events had been held in White City for young people to have had interviews with businesses. Moreover, 20 businesses and 20 schools were being matched to work on curriculum mapping and delivery.  They had mapped out pilot activities which would be promoted and spread to similar schools.  Lastly there was an explanation of the way in which the development of inclusive employment through the Economy Team had been devised through tracking all apprenticeship opportunities within the borough.

Peter Haylock briefed that the Economy Team was meeting with Education, and the People and Talent teams regularly to review existing opportunities and gaps that needed to be filled and then developed.  In response to the Chair’s suggestion of inviting external people to provide inputs, Peter said that the Industrial Strategy Board had been bringing the right people together.  Jacqui McShannon (Strategic Director of Children’s Services) advised that more information on the oversight of the Industrial Strategy in Education would be available to this Committee when it considered the Annual Education Report.

ACTION: Peter Haylock

To foster partnerships between the Virtual School and local businesses, the Chair suggested holding a forum on future industries in the borough such that the Virtual School could go beyond learning, training and enrichment to include apprenticeship opportunities offered by local businesses for care experienced young people. Jacqui McShannon highlighted that events had been held to help schools build a curriculum that got ahead of the national agenda and standards so that H&F’s CYP were able to envision a future that might be quite different from now.

Councillor Lucy Richardson was concerned about access, signposting and inclusivity of the activities and opportunities under the Industrial Strategy in Education.  Specifically, she asked whether these activities would be available online and still accessible to care experienced young people beyond the age of 25, and whether they would be promoted by social workers and HCP workers.

Peter Haylock remarked that once ascertaining the positive impacts of the pilot programmes, dedicated websites that showed all industrial strategy in education activities would come on board.  In terms of employment, he assured that it was truly inclusive.  While an annual review for opportunities to be provided for young people had already started for Year 9, it would continue to develop further moving forward, including signposting any employment opportunities for HCP as early as possible.

Councillor Alex Sanderson (Cabinet Member for Children and Education) informed the meeting that Imperial College had a lot of information for people with Autism, from providing advice to employment opportunities. She and the Chair exchanged views on inclusion related to online science and global innovation districts, and industrial partners in Barcelona and Milan.

In reply to Councillor Richardson’s further question, Peter Haylock said that it was up to the individual Academy whether and how to track their students’ careers education, by tracking and listing achievements against the benchmark and recording encounters with local businesses.

Noting that work experience opportunities were usually offered for young people leaving care or secondary school, Councillor Aliya Afzal-Khan was keen to link Industrial Strategy in Education with secondary school students. She was concerned how STEMMM employer accredited teacher training could enhance teachers’ career guidance such that the students could be in touch with employers early. Peter Haylock remarked that it was in the plan to grow and develop the accredited teacher training. They also intended to start industrial education for students at Key Stage 2/3 and develop bespoke curriculum involving new internship and work experience opportunities.  On offering computer science in all secondary schools in response to digital economy, Peter explained that the local authority could not mandate the subjects to be offered and the lack of computer science teachers was a real challenge to schools.  The purpose of bringing in businesses to schools was a means to support STEMMM education. That was why at Key Stage 3, a pilot programme would be developed to enhance the subjects of computer science as well as design & technology through working with the business experts.

Nandini Ganesh asked if people supported internship as part of Industrial Strategy in Education as they might not necessarily lead to employment. Reiterating that annual reviews in Year 9 would start to prepare the children, Peter Haylock said internship was a big part of the initiative and would be developed further with the increasing number of participating businesses.  He noted that about 72% of such opportunities had turned to employment.

RESOLVED

That the Committee noted and commented on the report.