The Economic Development and External Funding Manager introduced the report which outlined the discussions that took place at the East Kent Skills Summit, held on 7 June 2022. The officer drew Member’s attention to appendix I of the report which set out the initial suggested actions from the East Kent Summit and contained running commentary against some of the actions that directly related to Swale Borough Council (SBC). 

Members were invited to make comments, which included:

-       The most important skills that were needed in the borough were manufacturing skills;

-       felt that Kent was held back economically due to the lack of skills in the area;

-       needed to consider a more successful qualification set-up with the schools in the borough to give young people the necessary skills to take up jobs within the borough that needed to be filled;

-       SBC had shown itself to be a prime mover in promoting skills training by supporting the extension of Sheppey College;

-       company investors needed to see that certain skills were being met in the borough before bringing their business to the borough so this was key in order to promote the economy in Swale;

-       recognised that the average income in Swale was high but felt that this was masked by people working in London and commuting from Swale;

-       schools should be directing students to the relevant classes and courses for them to learn the necessary skills they needed to get jobs in the borough;

-       felt that schools focussed on the grades that students attained rather than the skills they needed for finding secure jobs;

-       Colleges on the Isle of Sheppey were leading by example by holding forums with local businesses to work out what skills they were looking for in students over the next 3, 5, 10 and 15 years; and

-       ensuring the residents of Swale were given the right opportunities to upgrade their skills and find reliable work was important and regular updates to the Committee on the progress of the proposed actions from the Summit would be useful.

In response, the Economic Development and External Funding Manager said that Members were welcome to email himself or his team for updates on progress they had made on the list of actions.

The Chair proposed the recommendation in the report and this was seconded by Councillor Roger Truelove.

Resolved:

(1)      That the Council works with East Kent partners on the development of an East Kent Skills Pledge and a clear action plan.