EMPLOYMENT & SKILLS FACTS
Employment, Skills and Prosperity
Fuelling the knowledge economy
The Alliance sub-region of North Nottinghamshire and North Derbyshire is a region rich in industrial heritage, reknowned world wide for its coalmining, textiles and engineering industries. Today however, with traditional industries in decline, our future prosperity will depend on the development of a knowledge economy, with a greater proportion of the area’s income produced by knowledge based industries, a higher share of the workforce employed in knowledge based jobs and more businesses using technology to innovate.
The challenge: To equip communities where historically, educational achievement is low, with the skills and support they need to flourish in a future where knowledge is the fuel of economic prosperity.
Fast Facts
Your work makes a difference!
Did you know…
- Approaching 60 organisations are involved in delivering over 180 employment and skills initiatives across North Derbyshire and North Nottinghamshire.
- This activity is supported by in excess of £13 million including European, Learning and Skills Council and Job Centre Plus funding and regeneration funded activity such as that provided through the Alliance SSP, local authorities and the third sector. If all Learning and Skills Council and Job Centre Plus mainstream funding was added to this, the sum would be much higher
In 2006/07, the Alliance SSP alone has:
- Created or safeguarded 1070 jobs and assisted over 110 people to get a job
- Helped create or attract to the region more than 180 businesses
- Assisted just short of 1200 businesses to improve their performance
- Facilitated almost 400 higher education and business collaborations
- Assisted 1600 people in their skills development
- Helped 60 adults address their basic skills
- Supported more than 260 adults in gaining a Level 2 qualification
Flagship Alliance SSP projects include:
- Skills Elevator Plus which aims to raise the number of individuals in the sub region with Level 3 and 4 qualifications
- Establishment of the CHEA (Collaborative Higher Education Alliance) Partnership, which seeks to provide pathways to higher level learning
- Identifying and supporting key industry sectors with investment in logistics and construction Vocational Centres of Excellence
We’d love to collect and share more proof points of the success of employment and skills initiatives across the sub-region. Please get in touch if you have information to share here on this page.
Educations and Skills – a priority need*
Skills and qualifications levels in the Alliance SSP area are generally very low but there is high potential for development amongst the relatively high proportion of workers with strong vocational skills:
- The sub region ranks 49th out of 52 sub regions in the country
- In 2002-2003 just 15.7% per cent of people were qualified to NVQ 4 level (University degree) compared to 19.9% in the East Midlands and 24.2% in Great Britain
- Ashfield district had the lowest percentage (8.5%) of working age people qualified to level 4 of all the 408 districts in the county
- Basic numeracy and literacy skills are also below average (27% and 25.6% respectively compared to 24.7% and 24.4% in Great Britain)
- On a more positive note the disproportionately high numbers of people with NVQ level 3 skills (21% compared to the 18.8% national average) is testament to the region's industrial past, showing high levels of vocational skills that with support could be developed or transferred
Labour market
The Alliance sub-region of North Nottinghamshire and North Derbyshire has low unemployment rates however a disproportionately high proportion of the working age population is economically inactive. This is a pattern typical of former coalfield areas and is often the result of long-term health problems.
- Overall the Alliance SSP area of North Nottinghamshire and North Derbyshire is slightly below average in respect of the labour market ranking 35th of 52 sub regions in terms of its employment rate. The employment rate for the Alliance sub-region was 73.7% only slightly below the national average of 74.2%
- The economic activity rate however is high at 22.4% compared to 20.8% in the East Midlands
* Source: The State of The Alliance SSP Area: An Economic, Social and Environmental Audit of North Nottinghamshire and North Derbyshire September 2004, Local Futures Group (2002-2003 data)