DD2505 Delivery of Workforce Integration Skills Funding

1.1. This decision form seeks the Executive Director’s approval (pursuant to the delegations made by the Mayor under cover of MD2680 and MD2363) of expenditure of up to £220,000 on a programme of construction-focused employability interventions that will provide employability support to underrepresented young people in the construction sector; employability support to experienced job seekers from BAME backgrounds recently made unemployed to enter the construction sector; and a WIN toolkit ’community of practice’ for construction employers.

1.2. The Workforce Integration Network was established in 2018 as part of ‘All of Us’, the Mayor’s Strategy for Social Integration. The strategy recognises that we can only achieve a more socially integrated city by breaking down the inequalities Londoners face in their everyday lives. One major inequality is disproportionate levels of unemployment and barriers to accessing and progressing in good work. Recently the COVID-19 crisis and #BlackLivesMatter movement have continued to shine a light on the deep-seated inequalities that impact how Londoners live and work. A critical part of rebuilding London’s economy in the aftermath of this public health crisis is tackling these inequalities.

1.3. Since July 2018 (through decisions MD2311, MD2461) the programme has been conducting research, developing resources and building relationships with employers in the digital and construction sectors.

1.4. In October 2020, the GLA published research with Runnymede Trust presenting the experiences of young Black men in the technology and construction industries. This highlighted sector-specific barriers and made a series of recommendations to business. Working with Black Training and Enterprise Group the GLA has developed and launched a toolkit offering practical guidance to businesses to help diversify their workforce and foster a truly inclusive workplace culture.

1.5. Through our engagement with businesses, it is evident that employers need support in reaching young Black men, and that many want to be involved in effective employability initiatives that enable and support them to engage more effectively with demographics they are currently not engaging with sufficiently, such as young Black men.

1.6. Our own employability pilots delivered in 2019/20 demonstrate the value of deep work with young Black men that is specific to a particular sector. For example, despite the serious impact of Covid-19 on the availability of opportunities in the construction sector and the constraints faced by our delivery partners, the Construction Youth Trust, to deliver in the way they intended; they were able to support 9 out of the 10 young Black men on the pilot into positive employment-related outcomes within the construction sector (including jobs, training and into education).

1.7. This decision form seeks approval for the delivery of a suite of employability interventions that will a) attract interest from more construction employers to the WIN programme; b) increase the likelihood of take-up of the actions set out in the WIN toolkit c) through our evaluation, provide sector-wide learning on what works to support young Black men into jobs in construction; and d) support young Black men and other underrepresented groups progress towards and access employment opportunities within the construction sector.

1.8. These employability interventions build on and learn from employability pilots delivered in 2019/20 and lay the pathway for proposals to significantly scale up employability interventions through European Social Funding (ESF) next year. We have seen strong signs of success from our approach and at scale could significantly impact the entire sector.

1.9. The GLA is seeking to commission suitable construction employability-focused delivery partners to deliver the various employability interventions proposed, which will be procured by Transport for London Commercial, who will determine the detail of the procurement strategy to be adopted in accordance with the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code.

2.1. The following are the construction sector-focused employability interventions that we are proposing to deliver, primarily targeting underrepresented young people between 16 – 25 years old, particularly young Black men.

Youth-focused Employability Programme

Context and purpose

2.2. Due to increased levels of unemployment since Covid-19, which has disproportionately affected young people and those from BAME backgrounds, there is a need for effective interventions to support the employability of young people as well as connect them to employment opportunities in sectors with strong future career prospects.

2.3. Though impacted significantly initially by Covid-19, the construction sector is now starting to show strong signs of recovery and announcements such as the Government’s commitment to boost infrastructure projects to aid the UK’s recovery bode well for the future of the sector.

2.4. Our engagement with businesses demonstrates that GLA-led employability interventions will both attract interest from construction employers, increasing likelihood of engagement with the WIN programme and take up of the actions set out in the WIN toolkit, as well as supporting young Black men and other underrepresented groups to progress towards and access employment opportunities within the construction sector.

2.5. The purpose of WIN’s proposed employability programme is therefore to engage underrepresented young people in London, particularly young Black men, to support them to progress into the wide range of career pathways within the construction sector to enhance diversity in the sector and aid it to ‘build back better’ as it recovers.

2.6. This work would build on our construction sector-focused WIN employability pilot delivered between February 2020 – October 2020, which demonstrated the need for bespoke support to effectively aid young Black men into the construction sector.

Delivery method

2.7. We will engage TfL Commercial and decide whether to procure services competitively or call off a framework to identify a suitable delivery partner. The youth-focused employability programme will be comprised of the following interventions and we will seek an appropriate youth and construction focused delivery partner to manage delivery and potentially sub-contract parts of delivery to other well-placed organisations. This will include:

Support for young people:

• virtual employability/soft skills sessions targeting young people, particularly young Black men, from 16 – 25 years old - virtual interviews, completing online applications etc.;

• as social distancing restrictions lift, delivery of in-person employability programmes and job search support sessions targeting young people, particularly young Black men, from 16 – 25 years old;

• virtual and in-person (as social distancing restrictions ease) 1-2-1 Information Advice and Guidance (IAG) support;

• virtual (and potentially in-person if possible, as social distancing restrictions ease) talks/events with construction industry professionals in various roles targeting unemployed young people, particularly young Black men, as well as school sixth forms and colleges to provide careers advice/insight;

• virtual sessions with construction employers with specific opportunities to gain more insight about the role(s) available and application process;

• virtual industry Mentors (1-2-1) for young people, particularly young Black men, looking for work;

• virtual work experience opportunities (and potentially in-person work experience if possible, as social distancing restrictions ease); and

• regular newsletter with information of training, employment/apprenticeship opportunities, and general employment support in the context of Covid-19 impacts.

Support for businesses, including:

• working with design lab partners to mainstream/embed tested recruitment methods from our employability programme into the design labs (which make up 10% of the construction sector), to change sector recruitment practices. (Design labs is a WIN initiative where we work in depth with 10 leading infrastructure/construction employers to practically support them to enhance their policies and practices to become more inclusive employers);

• help plug employment and diversity gaps in businesses that engage with either the design lab or toolkit via our employability programme; and

• developing sector-specific guidance on employability for young Black men.

Impact and deliverables:

2.8. £150,000 from the overall budget of £220,000 will be dedicated to the construction youth-focused employability programme. This will aim to achieve the following:

• 120 young people complete the sector-specific employability programme;

• 72 young people (60% of completers) supported into a positive outcome (job, apprenticeship, further training/education) through employability programme;

• 500 young people reached through wider events and engagement e.g. jobs fairs, outreach, work experience, industry talks, newsletter etc.; and

• 30 - 80 businesses engaged through the programme of employability interventions and events set out above with a view to influence their recruitment practices to be more inclusive, this includes the 10 design lab business that make up at least 10% of the industry.

Experienced Job Seeker Interventions

Context and purpose:

2.9. Due to the devastating economic impact of Covid-19 on a number of industries, there is an increase in skilled Londoners seeking employment. The purpose of our initiative is to engage experienced job seekers from underrepresented backgrounds, particularly young Black men, to enhance their LinkedIn profiles, CV’s and job seeking methods, as well as their awareness of opportunities within the construction sector, to support them to pivot their skills towards opportunities within the construction industry they may not have considered before.

Delivery method:

2.10. Host online sessions and on-going support for job seekers with recent work experience. We will be inviting tenders to bid for this work through TfL Commercial.

Impact and deliverables:

2.11. £20,000 from the overall budget of £220,000 will be dedicated to the support targeted at experienced job seekers. This project aims to achieve the following:

• 60 recently unemployed people supported to enhance their online profiles and CV’s through targeted support for experienced job seekers (LinkedIn etc.); and

• 60 per cent of people engaged consider the construction sector as a viable career option after attending a workshop.

Inclusive Employer Toolkit Workshop

Context and purpose:

2.12. Following the publication of the WIN toolkit in October 2020, the team will commission a delivery partner to run a series of workshops and interventions with construction sector employers to develop a ‘community of practice’ to aid implementation of the Inclusive Employer Toolkit. The sessions will include deep dives into the 17 actions and will be delivered in partnership with the Good Work Standard and Mayors Construction Academy.

Delivery method:

2.13. A series of online workshops and interventions, for example online forums and 1-2-1 support, with construction sector employers to develop a ‘community of practice’ to aid implementation of the Inclusive Employer Toolkit over the course of a year. We will be inviting tenders to bid for this work through TfL Commercial.

Impact and deliverables:

2.14. £50,000 of the overall budget of £220,000 will be used to deliver these sessions. The workshops aim to achieve the following:

• 30 Construction sector employers engaged and supported to implement the toolkit in their organisation as well as continued engagement with the WIN programme.

2.15. Evaluation: We will commission a programme evaluation for the entire programme, which will include initiatives above, as well as others delivered outside of this decision document. This evaluation will be covered separately by the WIN programmes wider budget.

3.1. Under Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, as a public authority, the Mayor of London must have ‘due regard’ of the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation as well as to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between people who have a protected characteristic and those who do not.

3.2. The decision requested builds on the initial work of the Workforce Integration Network to address underrepresentation in London’s workforce and will contribute to the Mayor’s equality objective to work with others so that “as many Londoners as possible can participate in, and benefit from employment opportunities in London” (Objective 19). This objective is underpinned by evidence that young Black men are under-represented in London’s construction sector workforce.

3.3. Equality, integration, fostering good relations and inclusion in the workplace are the drivers behind the proposed employability interventions. With WIN’s focus on young Black men, it is also specifically designed to focus on tackling disadvantage, discrimination and structural racism as a barrier to accessing and progressing in good work.

Risks and Issues

4.1. Risks are managed on a programmatic basis. At the time of writing the major risk for this project are the ongoing restrictions relating to COVID-19, especially social distancing measures which will affect in-person delivery training and support. This can be mitigated through highlighting the risk and requirement to outline plans for virtual delivery as part of procurement process.

Links to Mayoral strategies and priorities

4.2. The proposed employability interventions support the Mayor’s Social Integration strategy and his Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, particularly Objective 19 which commits to working with others to ensure as many Londoners can benefit from employment opportunities as possible.

4.3. It links to the Skills for Londoners strategy, in particular Objective 2 which commits to ‘increase targeted support to the most disadvantaged groups, so they are better equipped to access education and work’ and Objective 4 ‘Promote productivity by supporting employers to develop and make the best use of the skills of their current and future workforce’.

4.4. Further, it supports London’s Economic Development Strategy which outlines the Mayor’s plan to create a fairer more inclusive economy where Londoners are paid and treated fairly by employers.

4.5. Finally, it supports the Mayor’s commitment to tackle and mitigate inequalities highlighted by COVID 19, particularly for Black Londoners and London’s recovery mission to ensure good work for all Londoners.

5.1. Approval is being sought for expenditure of £220,000 to deliver construction-focused employability interventions that will provide employability support to under-represented young people in the construction sector; employability support to experienced job seekers recently made unemployed from BAME backgrounds to enter the construction sector; and a WIN toolkit ‘community of practice’ for construction employers.

5.2. The expenditure will be funded from the 2020/21 Mayor’s Construction Academy programme budget within the Skills and Employment Unit and allocated to The Workforce Integration Network (WIN), part of the Social Integration Workstream budget within the Communities and Social Policy Unit.

6.1. The foregoing sections of this report indicate that:

(a) the decisions requested of the Director concern the exercise of the GLA’s general powers, falling within the GLA’s statutory powers to do such things considered to further or which are facilitative of, conducive or incidental to the promotion of economic development and wealth creation, social development or the promotion of the improvement of the environment in Greater London; and

(b) in formulating the proposals in respect of which a decision is sought officers have complied with the Authority’s related statutory duties to:

- pay due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people;

- consider how the proposals will promote the improvement of health of persons, health inequalities between persons and to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom; and

- consult with appropriate bodies.

6.2. In taking the decisions requested, the Director must have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty; namely the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010, and to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic (race, disability, sex, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity and gender reassignment) and persons who do not share it (section 149 of the Equality Act 2010). To this end, the Director should have particular regard to section 3 of this report.

6.3. To the extent the services required are valued above £25,000 and up to £150,000, the services must be procured by Transport for London Commercial who will determine the detail of the procurement strategy to be adopted in accordance with the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code, which may include calling off a suitable framework. With regards to the services valued above £10,000 and less than £25,000, officers must seek a call off from a suitable framework if possible, failing which invite tenders for the services. Officers must ensure that if calling off a framework, the framework was procured in accordance with the GLA's Contracts and Funding Code and can be used by the GLA by virtue of its procurement by a central purchasing body on behalf of bodies such as the GLA in accordance with relevant procurement law; and the services required must be procured fully in accordance with the requirements of that framework.

6.4. Officers must ensure that appropriate contract documentation is put in place and executed by the successful bidder(s) (or the framework supplier as applicable) and the GLA before the commencement of the services.