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Education and skills improvement plan (2022 to 2031)

Our Education and skills improvement plan is the evidence base for local education and skills insights, priorities, success stories and initiatives, delivered by Ashfield’s Education and Skills Partnerships.

The plan

This plan comes at a time when the district is cautiously moving into recovery from the effects of a global pandemic. It offers a reflection on Ashfield’s education and skills journey to date, and outlines the strategic direction of travel that will enable people, business, and communities in our district to build back, to aspire, thrive and prosper going forwards.

Drawing on our skills and labour market strengths, challenges and ambitions, this plan aims to act as a springboard for future engagements, creative partnerships and conversations, where a diversity of voices from across the skills spectrum are heard, including employers, educators, learners and policy makers. It offers a wealth of insights and ideas for use by any individual or organisation with an interest in education and skills development in Ashfield.

Parts of the plan

  • Part 1 is a comprehensive Annex of indicators. This summarises the evidence behind the Education and skills improvement strategy
  • Part 2 is the Education and skills improvement strategy
  • Part 3 is the current 2 year action plan of education and skills activities, offering an interim assessment of progress on key indicators as well as initiatives that are currently underway.

It is important to stress that Ashfield’s education and skills improvement plan is not fixed, and each part of the plan will change depending on new data that emerges. We will therefore keep a close eye on economic intelligence and change our action plan of activities based on what we need to prioritise on. We will regularly gather feedback from partners and local businesses, using surveys, and adapt the activities accordingly.

Case studies

We will capture case studies and showcase the success that comes out of the completed activities within the plan. This will include good news stories from local businesses as well as the skills and enterprise projects that are new to the district.

Organisations working together to train and employ individuals to become HGV drivers:

Organisations that were exhibiting at the Ashfield Career Fair 2022 started to network and they agreed to work together in order to develop a training programme that will help local residents move into HGV driver roles. One is a training provider and another a transport and logistics business. This collaboration has resulted in creating HGV driver jobs within the Ashfield district.

Adult Numeracy programme "Multiply" making a positive impact in Ashfield:

Matthews story:

"I didn’t get my Maths GCSE at school as my grades were low. I find that jobs ask for a GCSE and as my boss is very supportive, he suggested a course. I did the 3 sessions of Multiply ‘But Less Scary’ in March 2023 at my local library. The tutor was really good and explained it to me in a way I understood. After the course, I received an Inspire leaflet through the door and decided to enrol on the Maths Functional Skills course so I can work towards getting my Level 2. I had my first session yesterday"

Ashfield Digital Skills programme tutor making a difference:

Alison Whitton, Partnership and Community Lead at ATTFE College, had this to say about two customers she has supported through Ashfield's Digital Skills Programme:

"A gentleman has attended three sessions with me as he didn’t feel confident using Indeed for job applications.

In the first session, we discussed the issues he was facing. Although he was applying for roles he believed matched his skills and experience, he wasn't receiving many responses. We reviewed his profile, and after some discussion, he made changes to support his applications.

In the second session, we used Microsoft Word to update his CV, incorporating the new content into his Indeed profile. He also ended up with an updated CV that could be printed.

In the last session, we ensured he had downloaded the app to his phone and addressed any changes or potential issues he might have in using the technology.

After the three sessions, he felt confident and was happy to end the support.

Another gentleman I assisted had recently left prison and was living in sheltered housing. He didn’t know how to create a CV, so we looked at his previous experience and produced an up-to-date resume.

He admitted that his digital skills were poor, and although he only attended one session, he was very pleased with what he’d learned. I also signposted him to our digital skills courses"

The Education and Skills Improvement plan has been aligned with the existing strategies and plans that are in place within the district:

Page last updated: 22 August 2024