Agenda and draft minutes

Venue: The National Park Visitor Centre, Libanus, Brecon LD3 8ER

Contact: Elizabeth Patterson  Scrutiny Officer

Items
No. Item

28.

Apologies

To receive apologies for absence.

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from County Councillor A Webb (Brecon Beacons National Park) who was represented by I Rowat and Dr C Turner from Powys County Council (Lead Member for Step 6).

 

In attendance:

J Bevan (Strategic Business and Programme Manager), B Ledger (Strategic Planning, Policy and Performance Manager) and L Patterson (Scrutiny Officer).

29.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 204 KB

To authorise the Chair to sign the minutes of the meeting of the Public Service Board Scrutiny Committee held on the 18th July 2019.

Minutes:

The Chair was authorised to sign the minutes of the meeting held on the 18th July 2019 as a correct record subject to the following amendment:

‘Opportunities exist here for co-ordination of bus funding transportation and infrastructure improvements.’

 

The extent to which the steps were set or could be amended was queried.  The Strategic Planning, Policy and Performance Manager agreed to respond to this query.

30.

Step 6 Update

To receive an update on Step 6: ‘Develop a holistic approach to skills and lifelong learning, which offers a range of formal and informal opportunities, including apprenticeships and traineeships’.

Minutes:

 

The Strategic Business and Programme Manager gave a presentation on Step 6 on behalf of the Programme Lead Dr C Turner who had given her apologies.  (Copy filed with signed minutes).

 

Step 6: Develop a holistic approach to skills and lifelong learning, which offers a range of formal and informal opportunities, including apprenticeships and traineeships.

 

To achieve this Step it was clear that this could not be done in isolation.  Three years ago the Learning and Skills Partnership Board set up a multiagency group Positive Pathways Powys as, having spoken to young people, it was clear that other than work or university there was a lack of knowledge about alternatives such as apprenticeships or a gap year. Positive Pathways Powys includes the following partners:

·         Cambrian Training Company

·         Powys County Council

·         NPTC Group (Neath Port Talbot College)

·         Secondary Schools

·         Careers Wales

·         PAVO (Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations)

 

Are the Powys Teaching Health Board on Positive Pathways Powys?

The Health Board were invited to attend but did not take up the offer.  This offer remains open.  However, the Health Board do attend the Careers Festival. 

 

The Health Board are working on Workforce Futures which would contribute to Step 6.

It is understood that Workforce Futures is a project on apprenticeships which is relevant to both Positive Pathways Powys and Step 6.

 

Does Positive Pathways Powys work directly with public services?

Not directly, but it does through the Careers Festival.

 

The Careers Festival is an annual event held for pupils in Years 9,10 and 12.  Students from Powys Schools are invited together with students from NPTC Colleges in Newtown and Brecon. Learners from Ceredigion and Bedstone College have requested to attend.  It is linked with Apprentice Week Wales, has run for a number of years and is growing in strength.  The Careers Festival is attended by universities, training providers, businesses and the public sector.

 

Are out of county pupils charged to attend?  Will the inclusion of these pupils result in a diluted experience for Powys pupils?

Bedstone learners were were offered a quieter slot (between 1 and 3pm) when many of the Powys learners have already left the event.  It is noted that Bedstone College has a catchment that includes a large part of east Powys and therefore Powys pupils would be within the students attending from this school.  In addition, Bedstone pupils would not receive free transport to the event which is provided to Powys schools.   

 

The Strategic Business and Programme Manager advised that in the first year, the careers festival was open to the public from 3.00 pm – 5.00 pm.  However, this did not work as a large number of the exhibitors had packed up and left when the learners had gone back to their respective schools

 

The Showground is a central location and whilst it is expensive to hire it does provide a safe environment for such an event.

 

The Fire Service have attended the event and have been impressed with the stands that other employees have put forward.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 30.

31.

Scrutiny views on Public Service Board Annual Report pdf icon PDF 306 KB

To receive comments from PSB Scrutiny Members on the online Public Service Board Annual Report.

Minutes:

The comments from PSB Scrutiny Members already submitted were noted.  The following additional comments were made:

·         The written narrative provided for some clips was useful and it would be welcomed for all steps

·         The extent to which the work of the PSB was in the public arena was queried.  It had not been prominent in libraries and council buildings and thus the promotion of this work to the public may need further consideration

Recommended that

·         The observations on the PSB Annual Report be submitted to the Public Service Board for comment.

 

32.

PSB Scrutiny Tracker pdf icon PDF 92 KB

To receive the PSB Tracker and PSB Scrutiny observations on Step 10.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The inclusion of the Scrutiny Tracker was welcomed.

33.

Minutes from Public Service Board pdf icon PDF 269 KB

The minutes from the meeting of the Public Service Board from 6th June 2019 have been published and are attached.

 

A further meeting of the Public Service Board was held on 19th September 2019.  The Vice-Chair and Scrutiny Officer attended this meeting and will provide a short verbal update.  The minutes of this meeting will be available in due course.

Minutes:

The minutes of the Public Service Board held on 6th June 2019 were received.  The meeting of the Public Service Board held on the 19th September 2019 had been observed by the Vice-Chair and Scrutiny Officer.  The Vice-Chair observed that the PSB were also struggling with the relationships and responsibilities between the PSB and RPB.  A presentation on Step 2 had been received but this appeared to be largely aspirational and lacking in detail and may be an appropriate item to consider at the next meeting of PSB Scrutiny.  It appeared that attempts were being made to move the implementation of Step 5 to the Mid Wales Growth Deal and this was further evidence that the PSB are using existing partnerships to fulfil the Steps they have identified rather than fulfilling the original purpose of the PSB which was to encourage new joint working across all partners working within Powys.

 

34.

Work Programme

Future meetings to be held on the:

·         16th January 2020 – to include training session

·         9th April 2020

·         16th July 2020

·         15th October 2020

 

The venues to be confirmed.

Minutes:

The next meeting of the Public Service Board Scrutiny Committee was agreed for the 14th January 2020 with an offer for the meeting to be hosted by the Powys Teaching Health Board.  This meeting would request an update on Step 2 and be followed by a scrutiny training session.

 

Provisional dates of future meetings are:

·         9th April 2002

·         16th July 2020

·         15th October 2020