Agenda item

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

 

“1.0     Relevant Background Information 

 

1.1       The purpose of this report is to present to Members the implementation plan for the Investment Programme.  The plan has identified 36 key projects. A project brief has been developed each of these 36 projects. This means that for each project:

 

·     A project manager has been allocated.

·     There is a clear description of the project.

·     Milestones and deliverables have been identified and time lined.

·     Required resources have been assessed.

·     Anticipated outcomes and targets to be achieved.

  

1.2       A full listing of the 36 projects is provided at Appendix One. A high level plan for the delivery of the physical capital projects is provided at Appendix Two. An update on the progress each physical project is provided at Appendix Three. The Director of Property and Projects will present the individual physical project briefs at the meeting.

  

1.3       The key milestones and timeline for all revenue projects are provided at Appendix 4a. Year 1 project activity sheets and project briefs for all revenue projects are provided at Appendix 4b. The Chief Executive and Chief Officers will present the details of delivery for each project at the meeting.

 

2.0       Key Issues

 

            Resources to Deliver

 

2.1       Failure to deliver the Investment Programme has been added as a key risk in the Corporate Risk Register. The main potential cause of this risk is a failure to provide adequate resources and the appropriate mix of skills and competencies. For this reason attention has been focussed on identifying the resources required to deliver the projects which are the most complex and have the highest city profile. In line with direction from Members, the Council has partnered with the Strategic Investment Board to advertise for Infrastructure Project Managers who will provide the additional capacity needed to deliver the  Convention and Exhibition Centre at the Waterfront Hall, the Springvale Innovation Centre and the North Foreshore. 

 

2.2       Work is also being  undertaken within the organisation to realign existing resources to increase the level of programme and project management capacity that exists within the organisation.

 

            Reporting and Monitoring

 

2.3       The delivery of the Investment Programme is dependent on robust programme and project management. A key element of this work will be the monitoring and reporting on progress and the adjustment of plans to deal with changing circumstances. Officers are currently developing an Investment Programme reporting framework for Members and the draft framework will be brought to the SP&R Committee in August for consideration  and the first half year reports will be presented at the October meeting.

 

 

            Immediate Implementation Issues

 

            Urban Broadband Fund

 

2.4       Members are aware that the Council has been guaranteed £6m of UBF funding to deliver the Super-Connected City project. We are now working to turn our initial proposal into a detailed business case to secure up to a total of £13.6m. DCMS has agreed to extend the deadline for final submission of the business case to 3 August 2012. The final draft will not be ready in time for the 22 June SP&R meeting and permission is being sought to submit the business case to DCMS on 3 August and then present it to the SP&R Committee at its first meeting in August for retrospective approval.

 

            Employment Opportunities

 

2.5       The Head of Human Resources proposes the following main ways to ensure the Council delivers 200 job opportunities:

 

·        Examining vacancies as they arise with a view to ensuring they represent the maximum benefit to both service delivery and Investment Programme priorities – i.e. could the vacancy be reconfigured to create one or more jobs to ensure delivery of the Investment Programme and better service delivery.

·        reducing dependency on agency workers and creating permanent directly employed established posts

·        turning temporary jobs ( temporary roles currently above the organisation’s agreed establishment ) into permanent established posts

·        creating new posts as a result of organisation restructuring

·        reducing dependency on overtime working of existing staff and creating more permanent established posts.

 

            HR is therefore examining each vacancy as it arises across the organisation;  undertaking a detailed analysis of where and how agency workers are being used;  examining  the type and number of existing temporary posts; and exploring how organisational restructuring could  result in job creation. Work to date in these areas indicates the potential to create  substantial  job opportunities  in the earlier stages of  the three year Investment Programme, while  job the opportunities anticipated  from  the reduction in overtime working, will take longer to achieve. This will be a complex piece of work and will have staffing implications.

 

            Based on the analysis completed to date it is proposed that the following targets should be set for job opportunities:

 

·     110 externally advertised jobs in year 1

·     60 externally advertised jobs in year 2

·     30 in year 3.

 

            Proposed Bursary Scheme

 

            Appendix 5 sets out in detail proposals for taking forward the Bursary Scheme, one of the key projects within the economy section of the Investment Programme.  The Appendix sets out a number of issues relating to the bursary scheme, highlighting:

 

·        its potential to have both a social inclusion focus and a focus on supporting greater alignment between economic growth and skills provision;

·        The need to agree on the level of assistance;

·        Proposed arrangements for programme management and administration ,

·        The potential role of the private sector and

·        Arrangements for monitoring and review.

 

            Members are asked to consider a pilot approach in Year 1 of the programme to focus on support channelled through Belfast Metropolitan College for Further and Higher Education Support and the Prince’s Trust for other support to access education, training and employment.

 

            International Marketing

 

2.8       In response to the Elected Members’ decision to develop the Council’s role in the international marketing of the city, a number of work streams are being taken forward.

 

2.9       The initial work stream has been to identify the international linkages which already exist within the city’s major institutions including the Universities, Invest NI, the NI Tourist Board, Belfast Metropolitan College, Belfast Harbour and the Arts Council amongst others. This work is nearing completion and will identify those areas of the globe where the Council can potentially add value through civic relationships with other cities / regions.

 

2.10     A second work stream will involve the development of a narrative for the city which will set out exactly what the city has to offer as a location to invest, visit, live and study in. This will in effect set out the ‘sales message’ to the international market place.

 

2.11     Following completion of the Masterplan we intend to identify a number of discrete investment opportunities which will be of interest to potential investors.

 

2.12     The third work stream will involve identifying suitable opportunities to promote those projects identified ,for example, City of London, Dublin, MIPIM. Suitable marketing materials and channels both for the city and the projects will also be formulated.

 

2.13     In parallel to the work set out above the Council will need to consider, in line with other stakeholders, the future governance arrangements of the city marketing function as it moves to a more holistic marketing approach rather than being concentrated solely on a tourism destination.

  

            Masterplan

 

2.14     The purpose of the Masterplan is to create a 10-20 year vision for the City, in terms of physical infrastructure and economic, social and environmental aspirations. A two phased approach on the consultation around the draft Masterplan which was presented to the Development Committee on 17th April 2012 has now commenced.

 

2.15     Consultation meetings have been arranged with Ministers from the Department for Social Development, the Department of the Environment, the Department for Regional Development and the Department for Culture, Arts and Leisure.  Further meetings are to be arranged with the Department for Enterprise, Trade and Investment and the Department for Finance and Personnel Ministers in early summer.  Following input from the various Government Ministers, a final draft version of the Masterplan will be completed by September 2012.

 

2.16     It is proposed that the wider consultation process will commence with a major conference in early October. It is planned that the Masterplan and an associated implementation plan will be completed for approval by the end of November 2012.

 

            Communication

 

2.17     It is vital that Members remain at the forefront of communicating progress in implementing the plan and highlighting where key milestones have been reached.  A full communication plan has been created which sits along-side the implementation plan and sets out how the Council will continue to get key information about projects to local people and allow members to lead this process.  Members will be presented at the meeting with the outline of the communication plan covering the next six months.

 

3.0       Recommendations

 

            Strategic Policy and Resources Committee is asked to agree:

 

1.   The implementation plans set out in the report and to consider a draft monitoring and reporting framework in August.

 

2.   The targets for job opportunities as follows:

 

·     110 externally advertised jobs in year 1

·     60 externally advertised jobs in year 2

·     30 in year 3.

 

3.     Note the information in respect of the proposed Bursary Scheme at Appendix 5 and consider a pilot approach in Year 1 of the programme to focus on support channelled through Belfast Metropolitan College for Further and Higher Education Support and the Prince’s Trust for other support to access education, training and employment.

 

4.     To consider the Urban Broadband Fund submission to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on a retrospective basis at the first Strategic Policy and Resources meeting in August.

 

5.     To hold a major conference on the Autumn to launch the Masterplan and initiate the City vision process.”

 

 

 

Appendix 2

 

“1  Relevant Background Information

 

1.1Belfast City Council’s Investment Programme contains a commitment to “contribute £300,000 towards bursaries to help those aged 16-24 into further education, training and employment”. This is one of the key elements of the Investment Programme’s support towards employability and skills development. 

 

1.2Taking account of this commitment, some initial research has been carried out into existing bursary initiatives and the opportunities for alignment with these.  The research has also flagged up a number of potential ways forward and agreement will need to be reached on the preferred approach, particularly if members wish to see the scheme implemented in time for the new academic year in September 2012. 

 

1.3A number of recent research pieces have identified that the Belfast economy will require higher skills levels in the future – with only 1 in 7 jobs likely to require no qualifications.  While the number of Belfast’s citizens participating in third level education is comparable with other UK cities, the number of people with low or no qualifications is higher than in other locations.   Moreover, those with low skills levels tend to be focused around certain geographies – particularly those neighbourhoods on the edge of the city centre

 

1.4Research also suggests that, the higher the skills level of an individual, the greater their prospects of finding a job.  Indeed a person with a degree was found to be almost twice as likely to be in employment as a person with no qualifications.  The level of the job and the potential to earn more are also significantly enhanced for those who have undertaken further or higher education s opposed to those with little low level or no qualifications. 

 

1.5At the same time, colleges and universities are focusing on a policy of “widening participation”, encouraging more people – and particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds – to take part in further and higher education.  In order to do this, they are considering a range of incentives e.g. bursaries; foundation degrees and the government has, to date, been supportive of these. 

 

1.6In addition, there are a number of privately-financed schemes or philanthropic schemes which operate – each with their own criteria and objectives – but generally with a focus on the most disadvantaged groups or on “high achievers” within a defined geographical area or a particular area of study.  A list of some of these awards is included with this report. 

 

1.7Given the need to act quickly in order to ensure that the scheme is in place for the coming academic year, it may be appropriate to consider a pilot approach that can deliver within the agreed timeframe, while complying with all our auditing requirements.  While the project is operating, the impact of the investment could be monitored and other potential approaches explored for future years.

   

 2   Key Issues

 

      Focus of the bursary

 

2.1There are a number of issues that should be considered in agreeing the proposed focus of the bursaries.  The examples of existing schemes demonstrate that these generally have either a social inclusion or a targeted sector approach.  While there are merits in both, the outputs and impact measurements for these can be considerably different. 

 

2.2A social inclusion approach could mean providing an additional subvention or incentive to those young people wishing to enhance their life prospects by investing in their education and training.  In collating the responses to the Investment Programme on the issue of bursaries, the responses received noted that young people have major concerns about access to training and employment opportunities.  While they wanted to ensure that their skills were accessible and relevant to the labour market, there were also concerns that a focus on formal qualifications only presents difficulties for many young people.  As such, they were supportive of a bursary scheme that would be accessible to young people at all levels.  

 

2.3This approach could work alongside existing support initiatives such as the Prince’s Trust Development Awards.  These Awards are used to help young people access education, training and employment.  They are open to those aged 16-25 who are not in education, training or employment and are aimed at helping the young person overcome a certain barrier preventing them from undertaking training or education, or moving into employment.  Awards of up to £500 are available and last year the Trust provided awards to 222 unemployed young people which included169 young people with little or no qualifications; 24 care leavers and 40 young offenders.  Of those people supported, 83% achieved a positive outcome, progressing into education, training or employment. 

 

2.4On the other hand, a key sector focus could incentivise young people to choose a specific field of study – particularly those identified in the recent economic strategy as being central to the future economic growth and competitiveness of the region. 

 

2.5There is an opportunity to use the bursary initiative to incentivise individuals to take a particular course of study which will lead them towards employments in the key growth sectors, particularly in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). 

 

2.6Some small incentives are already in place. For example, Belfast Metropolitan College has discounted some part-time STEM courses by 25% off the standard enrolment fee.  Meanwhile, Queen’s offers 50 scholarships to a value of £1,000 for academic high achievers applying to STEM courses (see spreadsheet attached to this report).

 

2.7Members may wish to consider whether this approach could be piloted (for the first year) on those undertaking further or higher education courses at Belfast Metropolitan College (BMC) in the key growth sectors (including computing, IT and multimedia; science; and tourism and hospitality).  The College has a high retention rate of those attending from disadvantaged backgrounds and has a significant community outreach programme across the city. 

 

      Level of assistance

 

2.8Assuming an annual budget of £100,000, it will be important to consider the level/s of funding available through the bursary scheme.  For example, for the smaller support amounts – aligned to the Prince’s Trust Awards in this proposal – it may be appropriate to set an upper limit of £500.  However for the FE/HE study awards – as proposed above – it may be appropriate to consider a higher upper limit – possibly up to £1,000. 

 

2.9Should members agree to the proposal to have two different types of bursaries – as identified above – it may be appropriate to consider an indicative split e.g. £70,000 annual budget for further/higher education support initiatives; £30,000 for other initiatives helping individuals into training or education (not at further or higher level) or helping them access employment.

 

 

      Programme management and administration

 

2.10     Consideration will need to be given to programme management and administration issues.  This relates, in particular, to the vouching of spend and the auditing requirements associated with this scheme.

 

2.11     One way to address this would be to stipulate that the bursary relates to a particular item/items of expenditure e.g. contribution towards fees, and arrange to make a direct payment to the university/college for this item.

 

2.12     In the case of the proposal to work with Belfast Metropolitan College, they have confirmed that they would be prepared to administer the bursary within their existing resources.  In the case of the proposal to work with Prince’s Trust, they would use their income from fundraising activities to cover the costs associated with the awards administration.  All of the Council funding could therefore be aimed directly towards the bursary recipient.  The Prince’s Trust would also make direct payments for the agreed items e.g. clothing for a job interview; course fees to gain a certain qualification required for a job etc.  This would facilitate our auditing requirements.

 

2.13     Given that this is a new initiative, it is difficult to predict the uptake levels of the scheme.  However it will be important to consider an application process (as used in the case of the Ilex scheme) and to establish agreed criteria for the awards.  In the case of the Prince’s Trust awards, these already exist.  However the Belfast Metropolitan College Awards are currently based on income levels only and therefore members may wish to consider whether the awards use this criterion alongside a focus on those courses relating to the key growth sectors. 

 

      Role of the private sector

 

2.14     The Council commitment within the Investment Programme does not require any match funding from the private sector or other funders.  Other bursary schemes have been predicated on private sector funding, with public funding used only to undertake the project administration/promotion activity.  The Ilex model assumes a sliding scale of public support while the Aisling bursaries are funded from private donations (the largest private donor is Whitemountain (£4,000 p.a.) while Bombardier provide £2,000 each year for a total of four bursaries (4 x £500)).  Some of the Aisling bursaries are also funded by individuals e.g. in memory of a family member.

 

2.15     It may be appropriate to consider whether the private sector should contribute to a Belfast bursary scheme and, if so, how this engagement from the sector can be best achieved. While it will be difficult to secure private sector buy-in for the programme launch, members may consider developing a targeted approach to engaging the private sector and other key organisations in the city to supplement the bursary fund and maximise its impact. It may also be appropriate to pursue additional funding from other government agencies, particularly DEL (Department for Employment and Learning).

 

      Monitoring and Evaluation

 

2.16     One of the essential criteria for supporting individuals applying to the scheme should be the net impact in terms of access to employment or enhanced skills levels.  Whichever approach members agree to take on this scheme, it will be important to ensure that that information is collated and that the added value of the Council intervention is visible, as measured by jobs outputs or skills improvements. 

 

2.17     If the pilot approach for year one is considered, information on programme participants –including employment/training outcome – will be gathered and assessed to ensure value for money.  This information will be used to consider the appropriate approach for years 2 and 3 of the scheme.  Our potential project partners have committed to working with us to ensure that this data is made available. 

 

      Community engagement and promotion

 

2.18     In order to ensure the success of this bursary scheme, it will be important to consider a targeted promotion and awareness campaign across the city.  As part of this, members may wish to consider whether a launch event for the bursary scheme is appropriate.  This could also serve to demonstrate the potential impact of the scheme to other public and private sector funders and may help in increasing the size of the fund for future years.  The promotional campaign is likely to involve council communication channels (press releases; facebook; twitter etc.) as well as targeted promotion through our facilities in the communities (principally leisure and community centres) and engagement with partner organisations e.g. schools; colleges; training organisations across the city.

 

 3   Resource Implications

 

3.1Financial

 

      A budget of £100,000 annually over the period of the Investment Programme has been set aside for this activity.

  

4    Key to Abbreviations

 

      BMC – Belfast Metropolitan College

      DEL – Department for Employment and Learning

      STEM – (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths

  

5    Recommendations

 

            Members are asked to:

 

·        Note the background issues relating to the potential bursary scheme

·        Consider a pilot approach in year 1 of the programme to focus on support channelled through Belfast Metropolitan College for further and higher education support and Prince’s Trust for other support to access education, training and employment.

·        Consider the level of assistance to be awarded under the bursary programme

·        Consider and approve the proposed arrangements for programme management and administration

·        Agree to engage the private sector and the Department of Employment and Learning to seek support for a citywide scheme

·        Note that an event will be arranged in September, to announce the launch of the Bursary Scheme and the first deliverables of the Investment Programme such as Dunville, Woodvale and Mary Peters Track

·        Note the proposed arrangements for monitoring and review

·        Consider the proposals for a community engagement and promotion campaign.

 

          After further discussion, the Committee agreed:

 

1.     to approve the publication of the draft Consultation Feedback Report on the Council’s website;

 

2.     to endorse the recommended approach to revise the Investment Programme, with a fully revised document to be submitted to the Committee for approval in August;

 

3.     to approve the Implementation Plans for the major capital projects as outlined by the Chief Officers;

 

4.     to approve the Urban Broadband Fund submission to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport by the closing date of 3rd August, with a copy of the final submission being submitted to the first meeting of the Committee in August for retrospective approval;

 

5.     to the targets for job opportunities as follows:

 

·          110 externally advertised jobs in year 1;

 

·          60 externally advertised jobs in year 2; and

 

·          30 in year 3.

 

6.     to note the information in respect of the proposed Bursary Scheme and approve a pilot approach in year 1 of the programme to focus on support channelled through the Belfast Metropolitan College for Further and Higher Education support and the Princes’ Trust for other support to access education, training and employment;

 

7.     that the Lord Mayor, in conjunction with the Chairman of the Committee, be requested to host an event for the key business and community and other relevant sectors to promote the Bursary Scheme;

 

8.     that a report in relation to community involvement in the development of the single student housing strategy be submitted to the Committee in due course.

 

            In addition, it was agreed, given the importance of the ongoing Review of Leisure Services, that Members would be involved in the process at the earliest opportunity.