MD2512 Digital Talent Programme – programme extension

The Mayor’s Digital Talent Programme is a £7m investment to help young people obtain the skills to fill digital, creative and technology occupations across London’s economy. The programme is co funded by LEAP – London’s Local Enterprise Partnership (£5m) and the European Social Fund (ESF) (£2m), and is organised into six different strands, each with their own aims, funding and outcomes.

Previous decisions

This report follows two previous Mayoral Decisions, four previous Director Decisions, and two Assistant Director Decisions (see below), which authorised development work for the Programme:

- MD1563 (2015) Mayor’s Digital Talent Programme;
- DD1270 LEP Delivery Staffing Resources (FE Capital and Digital Skills Programmes) - £31,500 for the staffing costs in delivering the Digital Skills pilot programme;
- DD1327 Phase 3 of the City Skills Fund Digital Skills £60,250 - research to support the specification and evaluation framework of the £5 million Digital Skills programme awarded to the LEP as part of the Local Growth Deal;
- MD2040 (2016) Digital Talent Programme;
- DD2118 (2017) Digital Talent Programme – revised financial allocation;
- DD2204 (2017) Digital Talent Programme – Young Entrepreneur;
- ADD2189 (2018) Digital Talent Programme – launch event; and
- ADD2297 (2018) Digital Talent Programme – careers event.

The objectives of the overall Programme remain the same as MD1563 which is to connect young Londoners with jobs by tackling the emerging skills gaps in the tech sector. The programme extension to March 2021 will allow providers more time to deliver the outputs as set out below:

Staffing and programme extension

1. DD2118 (April 2017) approved the programme extension to March 2020, with the proposal that the existing staffing resource (one G10 and one G8) for the project would be extended and funding of £249,000 sought via the annual budget setting process. However, the programme had encountered some delays due to resourcing and staff changes, and funding was not sought in 2017.
3. Considering that the programme has been extended twice (DD2118 and at the LEAP Board meeting in June 2018), there is now a need to request staffing budget to cover both 2019/20 and 2020/21. DEE Minor Programme Budget was sought to support this staffing requirement, and this was approved by then interim Executive Director of DEE, in August 2018:

Mayoral approval is now sought for expenditure of £210,000 from the DEE Minor Programme Budget to support the staffing required for 2019/20 and 2020/21.

Under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, as a public authority, the GLA is subject to the public sector equality duty and must have ‘due regard’ to the need to (i) eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation; (ii) advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not; and (iii) foster good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do. Protected characteristics under section 149 of the Equality Act are age, disability, gender re-assignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sex orientation, and marriage or civil partnership status (all except the last being “relevant” protected characteristics).

The purpose of the Digital Talent Programme remains unchanged from the original funding allocation. The Programme has a specific focus on inspiring and training more young women, young BAME Londoners, and young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEET) or are risk of NEET aged 16 24 years old to pursue careers in tech, digital and creative industries.

The extension of the programme will maximise the opportunities for young people in currently under represented groups to enter the digital, tech and creative workforce.

Links to Mayoral strategies

The Programme will contribute towards delivery of a key Mayoral manifesto commitment. This Programme forms part of a wider strategy that will be termed the ‘Tech Talent Pipeline’. Per MD2040 of November 2016, the aim of the Programme is to help: “Establish a tech talent pipeline, through the Skills for Londoners taskforce , following the model developed by New York, with more young people enabled and encouraged to gain key digital skills, and more apprenticeships in the sector. In particular [it] will ensure more girls are supported to develop tech skills, so that we can turn around the under representation of women in tech jobs.”

Risks and Mitigation

Key risk associated with this proposal: insufficient staffing resources to manage the programme and ensure that it meets its objectives to time, quality and budget. Mitigation: staffing resources will be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that it meets project needs.

Other

There are no interests to be declared from those involved in drafting this decision.

In relation to the programme extension to March 2021, all non-staff programme expenditure will be contained within the revised budget allocation of £6.5m approved by DD2118 (previously £7m).

However, the proposed extension has resulted in the need for staffing resource to support the extension amounting to £210,000 over the 2019-20 and 2020-21 financial-years (£100,000 & £110,000 respectively), which will be drawn-down from the DEE Minor Programme budget for each financial year.

The decisions requested of the Mayor (in accordance with the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code) 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 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.

In taking the decisions requested, the Mayor 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, gender, 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 Mayor should have particular regard to section 3 (above) of this report.