Young apprentice factory worker learning from engineer professional in factory workplace.

Liverpool Waters, the £5 billion regeneration project, and the city region’s biggest college, The City of Liverpool College have announced a partnership that will provide local students with apprenticeship opportunities on the project’s various developments.

Liverpool Waters which is owned and managed by Peel Land and Property, will regenerate over 60 hectares of Liverpool’s dockland, which spans over 2.3 kilometres of waterfront, starting at Princes Dock and heading towards North Liverpool.

With multiple developments already taking shape, including the residential apartment buildings Plaza 1821 and The Lexington at Princes Dock, as well as international developer Romal Capital’s Quay Central at Central Docks, the demand for skilled apprentices is increasing at a rapid rate.

By forming this partnership, Liverpool Waters’ development partners will have access to The City of Liverpool College’s skilled apprentices, who will in turn benefit from working on one of the biggest regeneration projects in Europe.

Ian Pollitt, assistant project director at Liverpool Waters, commented:

“Working closely with The City of Liverpool College means that we have access to a talent pool of 10,000 local apprentices, which will become invaluable as our project continues to pick up pace.

“We’re constantly welcoming new partners to our scheme, and a commitment of our partnership is that every single contractor and developer meets with the college to discuss their requirements and how the college can support them to meet these. This not only allows them to find some fantastic placements for their students, but the college can also encourage businesses to think creatively about their needs, as well as the kind of roles they’ll be looking to fill in the future.

“It is critical that we are working with future generations to ensure we can continue to be the very best, and this partnership means that we are inspiring an entire generation of workers, as well as retaining talent in the city by offering them sought after experience and creating opportunities for local people.”

Elaine Bowker, principal of The COLC, said:

“Through this partnership, we are creating opportunities for our students whilst providing these organisations with highly skilled and motivated apprentices. As a result, we’re able to give our students both the experience and the education to have an excellent career in the construction industry.

“We know that these skills are in high demand. As a college, we are reactive to this need and by offering a wide range of qualifications in a variety of disciplines, from GCSEs to Higher Apprenticeships, we can ensure that our students are equipped to meet these requirements. This partnership presents us with a fantastic opportunity to connect local talent with these businesses, as well as help firms upskill their current workforce to make sure their businesses are prepared for the future.

“We’re in constant conversation with businesses across the North West from a management and leadership perspective, which means we know exactly what these businesses need from their workforce. This not only gives us a competitive edge, but also allows us to build and nurture strong and lasting relationships with some of the biggest businesses in the area. We pride ourselves on our ability to harness the latest digital skills thanks to our digital academy, which means that as digital engineering starts to become a much more sought-after skill, we’ll already be ahead of the game and teaching our student apprentices everything they need to know. “

To learn more about the Liverpool Waters project, please visit: www.liverpoolwaters.co.uk or The City of Liverpool College please visit www.liv-coll.ac.uk.

‏Ian Noon, Head of Policy and Research at the National Deaf Children’s Society, said:
“Head teachers from across the country are marching on Downing Street because of huge pressures on the education system. For children with special educational needs, like the UK’s 50,000 deaf children, a complete crisis is unfolding before our eyes.
“Every child deserves the same chances in life, but systematic, swingeing cuts have left deaf children with a mountain to climb just to reach the start line.
“The Government must now wake-up and listen to the concerns of the entire sector and start delivering on its promise of a world-class education for everyone.”

Social workers, education and law enforcement workers in England concerned at rising childhood problems and shrinking services

85% of social workers have admitted that increased pressure on agencies that interact with vulnerable children means they are no longer able to give all children on their caseloads the support and time they need. The crisis in confidence amongst professionals is reflected in a new survey by YouGov for Barnardo’s.

With rising numbers of children facing multiple and overlapping issues stemming from early trauma and neglect, social workers caseloads are so overstretched that care for the most vulnerable children may be suffering.

The full survey of social workers, education and law enforcement workers in England showed alarming levels of concern at rising childhood problems and shrinking service solutions. Because resources are stretched to breaking point, professionals are becoming increasingly focused on expensive intervention, with children already at crisis point, meaning too many families miss out on the early help they need.

Barnardo’s Chief Executive Javed Khan said:

“The results of this survey are a wake-up call. What we’re seeing is a ‘perfect storm’ of more children needing help, increasingly complex challenges, and a system struggling to cope.

“With less and less resource for early intervention, and long waits for specialist mental health services, we are in danger of failing a generation of vulnerable children who face a future without hope. It’s also a false economy – young people who don’t get help now may develop far deeper and more costly problems in the future.

“But with a radical new approach we can turn this around.”

Last year Barnardo’s supported 301,100 children young people, parents and carers across the UK. By forming strategic partnerships with local and national agencies, co-designing and delivering services, and investing our donors’ money, alongside statutory sources, we can achieve a real step change, so that young people get help long before they reach crisis point.”

Findings in the polling include:

• A majority of law enforcement workers who work with children see an increase in demand in children experiencing exploitation by criminal gangs (58%)

• 58% per cent of social workers who come into professional contact with children had seen an increase in demand for support for children who had witnessed domestic abuse in the last year.

• Almost two-thirds of social workers (65%) also blamed a postcode lottery in the consistency of support, saying that it can be a barrier to vulnerable children getting support

• Over a third of teaching staff are ‘not confident’ they have sufficient skills to deal with and respond to complex vulnerabilities that children face (37%)

In response to the issues faced, Barnardo’s is actively advocating for “Strategic Partnerships” during party conferences this autumn, based on our own successful experience. Over the past few years Barnardo’s has been investing funds alongside national/local Government funding to identify challenges and co-design and deliver responses through strategic partnering that lead to better outcomes for more children.

For example, in 2012 service leaders in Newport City Council and Barnardo’s created a continuum of integrated family support services for children in need and their families that is proving more effective in protecting children from harm and promoting family well-being. An independent evaluation found 48% of all families worked with, had achieved very positive outcomes, including children being able to remain safely at home. IPC’s evaluation of this service found that it is also highly cost-effective.

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Shadow Education Secretary, Angela Rayner, this week announced plans for a Labour government to save cash strapped schools over half a billion pounds a year through a major shake-up of the supply teacher system.
Proposals include the introduction of a new national Substitute Teacher Register as well as plans to examine the feasibility of setting up a state supply agency and whether further regulation of supply teacher fees is needed to put an end to ‘exorbitant and escalating’ costs.
Commenting on the announcement, Baljinder Kuller, who has over 15 years’ experience in education recruitment, and is now Managing Director of online supply teacher portal, The Supply Register, said:
“The idea of a National Substitute Teacher Register is, in theory, a perfect solution to rectifying spiralling agency spend, and we welcome Labour’s intentions. However, while this system has worked successfully in Northern Ireland for many years, in England and Wales the market is very different. In Northern Ireland there is an abundance of talent and a shortage of jobs. Here, the reverse is true.
“While local authorities have managed education recruitment regionally in the past, reduced budgets mean that the majority are now unable to fund these services. And although the idea of a state supply agency is also an admirable suggestion, it would require a huge amount of investment to not only establish, but also manage in terms of compliance to ensure that teachers are deployed safely and reliably. In principle it’s a great idea, whether it’s logistically feasible is another matter.
“We would welcome further regulation of supply teacher fees to stop the exorbitant and escalating costs seen in the industry in recent years. Pay is inextricably linked with successful teaching and remuneration is often the deciding factor for teachers moving jobs. Until the government mandates a pay structure for professionals across all schools and local authorities, teachers will continue to switch roles to get a better deal, which will only heighten movement and reduce retention.”