Social Enterprise and Economy Group
2pm, 25 September 2013, Board Room, Aksa House, Phoenix Street, Oldham, OL1 1AN
Minutes
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Present:
Mushtaq Khan
Helen Barnes
Diane Wild
Kath Miller
John Fay
Alison Stuart
Jon Bloor
Andrew Lord
Paul Newcombe
Shoab Aktar
Ian Simpson
Sharon Lewis
Aksa
Chair
Regenda
OHIP
Housing 21
Aksa
OHIP
Minutes
OMBC
Contour Homes
Great Places
Great Places
Guinness Northern Counties
Guinness Northern Counties
1. Apologies
Michele Carr, OMBC and Sheena McDonnell, FCHO.
2. Notes of previous meetings
Focused meetings on Marlborough Street. No minutes available.
3. Feedback from Practitioners Sub-Group (Employment and Skills Forum)
AS provided an update on where group was up to, there had not been engagement from all
partners, the focus was around joint volunteering and apprenticeships however this had not
progressed very far. There was a discussion about moving forward and progressing. It was
suggested that linking into Get Oldham Working may provide this as it includes mechanisms
for joint apprenticeships and volunteering. The group could remain as a circulation list with
task and finish project groups could be established as and when required to deliver
particular activity
It was agreed that there was a need to go back to collating more quarterly information –
using information which partners already collate.
4. Feedback from the Council (Update on Get Oldham Working [GOW])
GOW OHIP.pptx
JB talked to the presentation attached
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Want to develop case studies
ACTION: RPs to send any case studies which they have to AS
One of lowest NEET levels in GM, but due to Study Programme (Govt. Policy change)
implementation this may increase. However, there is then a spike in
unemployment at 18 when they finish education – it is an employers market so very
hard to get a job without work experience.
Concentrations in unemployment are generally where social housing is. Doing
mapping at District Partnership levels to map unemployment, can promote housing
offer there
City Deal through AGMA, funding to develop the skills of residents:
 There is £6m City Deal funding being worked through now
 A bid of £7.5m being submitted to DWP for Youth Contract underspend
(target 18-24 unemployed)
 £178m ESF to be matched (so upto £356m) to start around Q3 2014 til 2020.
 Needs to be innovative. Info will be shared for next meeting.
ACTION: JB to circulate further detail on City Deal funding at December meeting.
AL has information on this from previous role and can circulate. Potential role for
this group in terms of steering way through the mine field of funding regime and to
put in some collective bids. Can match to own resources. Expectation that work will
start from late 2014 / early 2015
ACTION: AL to circulate information on applying for Skills Funding.
Need to bear in mind that Incapacity Benefit (IB) claimants are being transferred
onto Job Seekers Allowance (JSA), so this will still increase even as people are moved
into work through GOW
Need to view as all partners are part of a wider GOW team – it is not just the council
Mitigating the impact of Welfare Reform
Starting to see a levelling off of job losses
PN can provide Rochdale Welfare Reform impact indicators, OHIP to check if
available for Oldham.
ACTION: PN to provide Rochdale Welfare Reform indicators, OHIP to look into
equivalents for Oldham.
Reviewing Work Clubs and looking at Enterprise Club offer
Looking at Slivers of Time model, particularly for SMEs to provide small bits of
opportunities. A matching system. (Currently being developed – looking at 6 –
months to 1 year for go live).
Want all partners to sign a GOW pledge. Would like to see it is a part of
procurement opportunities.
Opening up council training, apprenticeship and internship model to partners. Is an
ILM model. Asking for £2,000 from employers to employ someone for 6 months.
Includes training and support into internal or external employment at the end,
probably through Work Trial rather than interview. (Work Trial is whilst still
employed by OMBC). Managing the risk for apprentices.
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Any opportunities the partners are delivering directly can be recorded as part of
GOW. – Need to see how we put this information in. Particularly if the organisation
signs up to the pledge
Need to go back to recording own apprentices, volunteers, work placements and
those of organisations procuring from, on a regular basis. GOW has a raft of
measures around this. Possibly need to consider how this will work for regional
organisations – it is about which Oldham residents have been supported rather than
where they are employed
There are some good examples of this through PFI and the Werneth Empty
Properties. Great Places provided a pot of money to get people work ready, eg CSC
cards, equipment. If RPs could put money into the GOW pot could have a bigger hit
and work in a more co-ordinated approach. If recruit through Co-operative Agency
will also add value
Enterprise Trust to go live in 2 weeks – RPs can add funds to this pot
GOW – central point of contact – conduit for information about where jobs are. A
lot of jobs are word of mouth. Trying to provide a mechanism of getting
information out to the community to people looking for work
Skills assessment, coaching and mentoring – looking for people as mentors and free
spaces on any training courses which GOW can find people who might benefit from
training
Looking at improving people’s hours – either seasonal or small number of hours per
week
JB to confirm if opportunities with partners could be ringfenced for their own
residents
ACTION: JB to confirm if opportunities could be ringfenced to their own residents.
GOW are supporting and formalising the Work Club network. Council to set up
more Work Clubs through Employer Volunteering programme. But there are
sensitivities around the volunteer led ones. Partners need to ask questions about
the success of the RP led ones. A consistent offer for RP led ones. GOW can assist
with this
ACTION: Task and finish group to develop a consistent offer around RP led Work
Clubs, PN volunteered to be involved.
Work Clubs to become more of a coaching and mentoring opportunity. Perhaps
there is a need for training for staff around mentoring and coaching
Only currently one Enterprise Club in the library
As RPs need to demonstrate how they feed into this agenda
ACTION: Consistent quarterly monitoring template to be developed with a task
and finish group in terms of data readily available within RPs. OHIP staff to
arrange.
Need to review programme for group for next 12 months and how we build this
activity in.
Updates to be provided to bi-monthly meetings
ACTION: JB to provide bi-monthly updates to the group.
JB to circulate the pledge to OHIP to sign up to – collectively and individually.
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ACTION: JB to provide the GOW pledge.
ACTION: Partners to sign up to the pledge individually and through the OHIP
Board.
Suggestion to look at an OHIP funded apprentice
ACTION: OHIP to set up a task and finish group to write a Board Paper on this.
5. Proposals for Marlborough Street Community Hub
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Malborough BP
draft.doc
MK and JF talked to the attached Business Plan
Council to provided 2 year lease at no rent if good business case can be provided
Council keen on housing led initiative due to historical issues with the centre in the
community
The building has a lot of potential longer term. Currently very Aksa oriented but
input welcome from other RPs
Ties in to gaps around Enterprise Hubs
Hubs beginning to appear around Manchester. IS has been involved with a variety
of Hubs around GM with a positive impact. Would be good to link into what
happening in wider area eg Manchester and Oldham Colleges
In terms of Great Places, similar aspirations for the PFI Community Centres in
Crossley and Primrose Bank, this drains the capacity of staff and finances
These sites could be linked together rather than in competition
Needs to assess cost of purchasing, managing and maintaining IT
Issue of services, staffing and keeping the building going. Shared staff and a
management arrangement would be required longer-term
Broaden the base to wider than employment and training – some wider community
development activity to bring people into the centre
Connectivity and needs to support for Council policies
ACTION: JF to pick up on the points discussed within the business plan, including
mapping exisiting activity and move it forward as a task and finish project group.
Plan to start of small and grow
Need to develop good practice – creates future opportunities on a larger stage eg
phase 2 of Work Programme
Key that there is a community there who will use it
General support from FCHO and Regenda as main other landlords in the area.
General support with some reservations.
ACTION: JF to contact the other providers individually and circulate dates for
viewing the centre.
6. Any Other Business
Housing Leadership Foundation (Links to National Housing Federation) Roadshow - Jobs and
Home event looking for RPs around social enterprise, benefits in term of not paying VAT.
Can register an interest. AL / IS to circulate information.
ACTION: AL/IS to circulate information.
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7. Date of next meeting
10th December at Aksa House (address above), 2 pm
ACTION: AS to circulate dates for bi-monthly meetings up to the end of the financial year.
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