In this months edition of the Employment and Skills update, we invite you to the London Plus and Maximus Health Works joint event to explore community partnership working and highlight sector news and funding.

There’s also an opportunity to feed in your thoughts and ideas on the new Skills & Employment Knowledge Hub which is being established for the capital.

Events

Local London Work and Health Programme community partnership

London Plus is holding a joint event with Maximus Health Works, who deliver the Local London Work and Health Programme. The aims of the joint event is to learn more about the Local London Work and Health Programme, how the Community Network Partnership works in Wales, and whether this can be adapted for the Local London area. This event is for members of the London Plus Employment and Skills Network and other voluntary organisations who deliver employment support and skills provision in London. You can register to this free event on our eventbrite page.

Funding Opportunities 

SAVE THE DATE: Round 2 of Mayor’s Young Londoners Fund opening soon

The Mayor’s £45 million Young Londoners Fund is helping children and young people to fulfil their potential, particularly those at risk of getting caught up in crime. It supports a wide range of local community projects providing activities for young Londoners. Round two of the Young Londoners Fund will open on Wednesday 15 May 2019 and close at midday on Friday 12 July.

GLA launches new Creative Enterprise Zone

The GLA has launched the Creative Enterprise Zone: Tottenham Enterprise and Skills Programme. This £500k programme has been developed with Haringey Council to support skills development within the Tottenham Creative Enterprise Zone (CEZ), one of the Mayors recently announced Creative Enterprise Zones. This European Social Fund (ESF) and GLA funded project has two main objectives: (i) to support employees of businesses in the Tottenham Creative Enterprise Zone to upskill and progress in work; (ii) to help creative businesses and education organisations collaborate on creative training programmes and improve pathways into the industry. Full details and application forms are available on the GLA website. The closing date for application of 17:00 Friday 17 May 2019.

Sector Updates

London Plus Good Work Commission

The London Good Work Commission is in full research mode, doing several site visits, community roundtables, and interviews. If you’d like to share any learnings or host a visit, please do get in touch: Rayhan@londonplus.org. As we’ve said before, it’s a great opportunity for the voluntary sector to help shape the good work agenda in the capital.

Closing the ethnicity pay gap

The London Assembly Economy Committee held a public roundtable on London’s ethnicity pay gap, with a focus on career progression within the workplace for BAME communities. The number of people from ethnic minority groups in education and employment has increased over the last 20 years but striking differences remain in pay. In 2017, for every £1 white British Londoners received in hourly pay, BAME Londoners received 78 pence. You can catch up on the meeting here.

Youth Jobs Gap: How early disadvantage impacts youth employment outcomes

A new NIESR and Impetus report on young people not in education, employment and training (NEET) reveals that young people with a disadvantaged family background are 50% more likely to be NEET than better-off peers irrespective of their education outcome.

Consultation opens for new Skills & Employment Knowledge Hub

The Mayor of London’s Skills for Londoners Strategy and ensuing Framework proposed a new Skills and Employment Knowledge Hub, which would draw on the world-class data in the London Datastore, connect to relevant networks, and learn from previous efforts. To gather views on how the Hub can be most useful for policymakers, employers, training providers and learners, the GLA is partnering with consultancy Rocket Science, cross-sector network Future of London and the Employment Related Services Association.