Issue details

In approving the £9.4m Regional Recovery Fund on 9 October 2020, the WECA Committee agreed officer delegations to ensure that decisions on business cases / detailed specific proposals for the agreed schemes can be progressed at pace.

One of the proposals is to commission a proposal for Post-16 Education & Skills infrastructure analysis. This project will help WECA and its partners deliver the most effective investment of public funds, to benefit West of England residents, communities and employers. This will be achieved by:
* Determining whether the West of England has sufficient general academic and vocational capacity to meet its Post-16 (16-18 and 19+) needs.
* Determining whether the West of England has sufficient Post-16 specialist vocational capacity to meet its needs including delivery of regionally agreed plans.
* Determining whether the West of England has sufficient Post-16 academic and vocational Post-16 capacity to meet the needs of our regional employers and economy in order to support the recovery from Covid-19 and to achieve inclusive economic growth.
* Determining where investment is required in the region, when it is required and how much it will cost.

Consultation has taken place with the Skills Officer Group and the Business and Skills Directors,
West of England Skills Advisory Panel and FE Principals group.

The Chief Executives of the 4 West of England unitary authorities were consulted on this proposal, including the draft commissioning proposal and the Feasibility and Development Funding application form for the project. The Chief Executives supported the commitment of funding to this project subject to noting that as well as forming part of the governance, unitary authorities will be formally consulted as specific proposals are brought forward.