Wirral Investment Framework

1
Wirral Investment Framework

• This presentation updates members on a number of
• key Wirral initiatives including
• Wirral Full Employment Strategy
• Wirral Enterprise Strategy and
• Merseyside City Employment Strategy

2
1. Employment Strategy - Key Challenges

• 1. Geographic concentrations of worklessness
• 2. Lowest qualified are less likely to find
  employment
• 3. Low take-up of jobs in the travel to work area
• 4. Many residents in the low-pay, no-pay cycle

3
Key Challenges

• 5. More employer engagement is needed
• 6. High levels of economic inactivity persist
• 7. Improve service delivery through partnerships

4
Key Actions

• Full Employment Target of 76 by 2012
• (an extra 9,500 people into employment)
• Targets for priority groups
• Co-ordination alignment of interventions
• Action Planning and Delivery through LAA

5
2. Wirral Enterprise Strategy

• Key Findings
• Low rate of business start-ups
• (although survival rates are improving)
• Low stock of VAT-registered businesses
• Very low job density
• Decline in employment in Wirral since the late
  1990s

6
Key Findings

• Low rate of self-employment
• Below national average productivity in both
• manufacturing and services
• Growing gap in skill levels and prosperity within
  Wirral
• A shortfall in quantity and quality of
  sites/premises for
• modern business needs

7
Key Actions The Enterprise Vision

• A narrowing of the enterprise gap between Wirral
  and
• the North West, and within Wirral communities
• A rising share of enterprise among women, BME
• and in deprived communities in Wirral
• An increase in the innovation and
  sustainability of
• Wirral businesses

8
3. City Employment Strategy (CES)

• CES is a two year pilot for local solutions
• to increase employment rate and skills levels
• if successful will be rolled out to other areas
  and
• extended over time
• Expression of interest approved by DWP July 2006
• (one of 15 Pathfinders)
• partners now developing more detailed delivery
  plan

9
Implications for Wirral

• Disadvantaged Areas Fund (DAF) provides core
• funding for City Strategy
• Approx 4 M for Merseyside
• Covers DWP designated wards
• Bidston, Birkenhead, Egerton
• Leasowe, Seacombe, Tranmere

10
Implications for Wirral

• Recent reduction in some national programmes
• such as Action Teams and Working Neighbourhoods
• However, DAF significantly less resource than
  previous
• programmes in Wirral
• Therefore key issue around effective targeting

11
CES Summary

• City Strategy integrates local priorities
• through LAA 4th Blocks to co-ordinate and align
• partners
• activities
• and resources
• to increase employment rates and skill levels

12
Implementing the Strategies

• The Strategies outlined represent the beginning,
• not the end, of the process
• Wirral partners now need to address the strategic
  
• priorities identified and agree actions
• key process for this is through the LAA.

13
LAA Partnerships

• Wirral traditionally operated a strong
  partnership
• approach to tackling unemployment worklessness
• This approach strengthened by introduction of
  LAA
• Economic Development and Enterprise (4th) Block
  and TLEP
• now merged to ensure a more focused approach

14
LAA 4th Block Partnership

• 6th month refresh of the 4th Block Economic
  Development
• and Enterprise (EDE) Block
• Agreed Priorities
• i) To increase the number of employment
  opportunities
• available to Wirral residents
• ii) To enable more people to access jobs and
• iii) To increase the vocational achievement of
  workforce

15
Key Issues for LAA

• I) EDE priorities cut across all blocks (eg
  child poverty)
• ii) no new or additional funding streams made
  available
• for 4th block activities to address these
  Priority Areas
• Iii) essential that partners now align
  strategies, resources
• and targets to effectively tackle the challenges.

16
Next steps.

• Launch strategies formalise partner
• commitment
• review, monitor evaluate progress
• continue regular updates to members on
• challenges and opportunities.

17
Further information

• Rose Boylan
• Economic Policy Team
• tel [phone]
• email rosemaryboylan_at_wirral.gov.uk