The ICE Programme is a strategic partnership between industry and education. It has come out of a need to improve the skills levels of our young people across the Bradford District. The ICE addresses the skills shortage in the health and social care sector by providing young people with the skills, behaviours and attributes to support Bradford capability to secure more jobs and inward investment in the future. 

The ICE:

·         Improves the opportunities for 14-19 year olds to benefit from specialist skills influenced by Industry, developing progression routes in further higher learning and skilled employment   

·         Engages with business to identify their priority skills in order to redesign, shape, create fit for purpose education and training programmes that address market failure and transformational change.

·         Provides young people with a set of in-demand and marketable qualifications weaved in with employability skills to help them secure employment  

The Director will attend the meeting to give an update on the establishment and activity of the Bradford District Health and Social Care ICE to date.

(Stacey Jobson – 07880 380426)

The Industrial Centre of Excellence (ICE) Programme is a strategic partnership between industry and education. It has come out of a need to improve the skills levels of young people across the Bradford district. The ICE addresses the skills shortage in the health and social care sector by providing young people with the skills, behaviours and attributes to support Bradford capability to secure more jobs and inward investment in the future. 

The ICE:

·         Improves the opportunities for 14-19 year olds to benefit from specialist skills influenced by Industry, developing progression routes in further higher learning and skilled employment   

·         Engages with business to identify their priority skills in order to redesign, shape, create fit for purpose education and training programmes that address market failure and transformational change.

·         Provide young people with a set of in-demand and marketable qualifications weaved in with employability skills to help them secure employment  

The Director attended the meeting to give an update on the establishment and activity of the Bradford District Health and Social Care ICE to date.  During her presentation she stated that:

·         The Health and Social Care ICE Programme commenced in October 2017 with 80 students attending a Careers Carousel Exploration Day at the University of Bradford.

·         The ICE Programmes had been rolled out in 18 secondary schools and to 3,000 students across the district, delivering industry led programmes since 2013.

·         Students studied technical based programmes which were considered key to the district ‘growing its own’ workforce in areas where there were skills gaps.

·         Business engagement and partnership working was at the heart of the programme.

·         The ICE Programmes were an innovative way in which students could gain skills and qualifications to give them pathways into industry and further training.

·         Young people on the programme were expected to complete 12 competencies which helped towards creating a CV and personal statement for university.

·         The programme currently had seven industry partners and five educational partners.

·         The ICE Board members included representatives from: Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Airedale Hospital, Bradford District Care Trust, Bradford Council, Bradford Trident, Skills for Care, Bradford University, Bradford College, Bradford Girls Grammar, Bradford Academy and Parkside School. 

·         Schools taking part in the Health and Social Care ICE Programme were: Bradford Girls Grammar School, Bradford Academy and Parkside School.  All schools were selected by the ICE Board.

·         Qualifications being offered were: A Level Science (Biology, Physics, and Chemistry), Cambridge technical level 2 and 3 in Health and Social Care and BTEC Level 3 National Award in Children's Play, Learning and Development.

·         A four year rolling programme for the Health and Social Care ICE Programme had been devised.

·         The programme has been created through mapping the curriculum to the skills required by industry.

·         Each programme was tailored to individual schools and the qualification that they delivered.

·         The programme contextualised the learning by putting theory into practice.

·         Employability skills were weaved into the curriculum and delivered by industry professionals.

·         Young people on the programme had the opportunity to undertake work placements and visits which included speaking to staff about their job roles e.g. visits to hospitals to speak to Radiographers and Midwives etc.

In response to Members’ questions, it was reported that:

·         The programme worked alongside the private sector and had started with three schools initially; it hoped to increase the number of schools it worked with.

·         Bradford Pathways worked with young people aged 13 and 14, prior to their involvement in the ICE Programme; this helped young people to discover the opportunities available in different sectors as most did not know what career path they wanted to follow at that age.  Part of the programme’s role was to provide guidance around career exploration so that young people could make informed choices.

·         The Clinical Commissioning Groups were funding the Health and Social Care ICE Programme for one year and Bradford Trident were funding it for a further three years.

·         The career advisor model no longer existed in schools.

·         The pilot programme had started with 80 young people and 3,000 were now part of the programme.

·         It was for industry to define what they wanted from the programme as ultimately it was to fill the industry skills gaps. 

·         Industry and school involvement was critical to the programme.

·         It was hoped that in five years time the programmes would be the recruiter of choice for industry.

·         The programme worked with the voluntary sector to provide volunteering opportunities to 16-18 year olds which also supported their university application. 

·         It was not within the programme’s remit to influence industry on pay rates.

·         The number of young people expected in jobs at the end of the programme had not yet been confirmed but it was hoped that at least 50% would enter the industry sector.

·         The programme worked with schools and colleges; it did not currently work with young people who were Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET).

A Member questioned whether the programme was influencing young people at an impressionable age to follow a career path in health and social care and closing down other options.  In response it was stated that this was not the case and that the programme was about giving young people knowledge and transferable skills along the way.

A discussion took place about providing a realistic experience of the job roles being explored.  It was acknowledged that this was difficult to do due to the existing strains on staffing in healthcare settings.  The emotional intelligence of young people in healthcare settings was also discussed as well as how the programme and industry needed to work together to get the right candidates for health and social care jobs.  Members suggested using video clips to showcase job roles and involving the voluntary sector to help carry out mock interviews. 

Resolved –

That a progress report be submitted to the Committee in 12 months time

and that young people involved in the Industrial Centres of Excellence (ICE) Programme and representatives of schools signed up to it be invited to the meeting.

ACTION: ICE Programme Director

Councillor A Ahmed in the Chair