About us

The aims and objectives of the Executive Board include:

• Working as a partnership of the public, private, voluntary and community sectors, and across institutional boundaries, to promote the sustainable and inclusive growth of the Tyne and Wear City Region, with a particular focus on economic development, employment, skills and transport; and to formulate strategies for those policy areas that will guide and influence regional and local policy;
• To add value for the City Region, focusing on outcomes that can best be delivered at that level;
• To take cognisance of the Regional Economic Strategy and work with the Regional Development Agency to influence and support the delivery of those strategies;
• To ensure that Multi-Area Agreements (MAAs) within the City Region are aligned with the City Region’s strategic objectives and receive reports on the progress of MAAs;
• Working through an Employment and Skills Board, to take measures to improve the skills and employability of people within the City Region;
• Working through a Transport Board, to take measures to improve transport in the City Region including the coordination of public transport;
• To gather evidence relating to the economic performance of the City Region as a basis for development of strategies;

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The Board exists to provide leadership and strategic direction for the development and implementation of employment and skills programmes that will strengthen and drive forward the economic transformation of the Tyne and Wear area.

The Board's primary function will be to develop and oversee the implementation of an ‘all ages’ Tyne and Wear Employment and Skills strategy, outlining the strategic economic and labour market requirements for Tyne and Wear and indicating how demand can be stimulated and managed to address the area’s economic priorities. 

In support of this the Board will undertake a number of key activities including:

• Directing and advise on key strategic employment and skills policy issues within the Tyne and Wear area and oversee how employability and skills services are commissioned and delivered in line with agreed core priorities and outcomes. 

• Drive forward employment and skills integration by placing the demands of employers and individuals at the centre of future provision that is underpinned by appropriate economic and labour market analysis and evidence base. 

• Provide a single, influential and respected voice for the Tyne and Wear area on employment and skills issues to government, regional and national agencies, and to other regional partnerships and organisations. 

• Ensure an employer-led approach is taken by ensuring adequate arrangements are in place to consult and engage with, businesses and employers operating within the Tyne and Wear area. 

• Develop appropriate learner engagement mechanisms with partners to ensure that their views are captured, and effectively used in future provision. 

• Challenge partners to ensure that their programmes are aligned to achieve agreed strategies and outcomes for the Tyne and Wear area; and that local partnership are supported to ensure effective delivery and implementation. 

• Undertake a performance review function of the key outcomes delivered by the employment and training provision commissioned within the Tyne and Wear area.

• Take responsibility for the effective implementation of the:

• Tyne and Wear City Strategy Pathfinder approved by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).

• Employment and skills elements of the Tyne and Wear City Region Multi Area Agreement (MAA).

• Ensure appropriate evaluation activity is commissioned of the work of the Board to ensure it remains ‘fit for purpose’.

• Provide a forum through which best practice is developed and shared.

The Board will work to deliver the following key outcomes:

• Maintenance of a strong labour market to support a competitive local economy within Tyne and Wear.

• Higher levels of economic productivity and economic participation.

• More sustainable business and employment opportunities.

   

This will be assessed by reference to a number of key indicators: 

• Increased employment rate.

• Reduced skills gaps reported by employers.

• Increased number of participants in further and higher education.

• Reduce number of people on out-of-work benefits.

• Increased proportion of working-age people with level 2, level 3 and level 4 skills.

• Reduced number of 16 – 19 year olds not in education, employment or training.

   

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Working for the Programme Delivery Manager, this team is responsible for:

• Designing and implementing processes to ensure that the Employment and Skills Board operates effectively.

• Compiling, reviewing and reporting on progress of the Delivery Plan, in conjunction with partners.

• Monitoring and reporting on performance.

• Identifying and working with partners to develop initiatives and projects to address issues in the areas covered by the Board.

• Evaluating and making recommendations to the Delivery Manager and Employment and Skills Board on projects and proposals for funding.

• Ensuring effective communications between partners, stakeholders and customers.

The Team

Shona Duncan - Programme Delivery Manager

Shona has overall responsibility for the work of the Employment Team and for developing the Employment and Skills Board to cover the Tyne and Wear City Region, bringing partners together, developing the Board’s strategy, establishing targets, and ensuring the delivery of projects and programmes to achieve them.

Mark Barrett - Programme Officer (Performance Management)

Mark’s role is to assist with the development of the Employment and Skills Board supporting and, when necessary, representing the Programme Delivery Manager, bringing partners together, developing the Employment and Skills strategy, and establishing, monitoring and reporting on targets, to ensure that the strategy is achieved.

Carolyn Dewar - Project Support Officer

Carolyn’s role is to develop systems and provide administrative and performance management support to the Employment and Skills Team, including day-to-day management of the office and collating and reporting on performance information from partners.

Jonah Morris - Data Management Officer

Jonah’s role is to carry out duties related to the collection, collation and reporting of data. In particular, this involves the rollout of a single client tracking and management information system across the Tyne and Wear City Region.

Alison Kirk - Project Coordinator

Alison's role is to develop a Project Management role for any appropriate fundign secured, including in the first instance the Single Programme Employability programme and the ESF employer engagement programme. This includes managing effective and appropriate project management, monitoring and financial management processes and securing additional funding for commissioning employability activity across the City Region. 

Craig Reid - Employer Officer

Craig's role is to assist with the development of the Employment and Skills Board, and in particular carry out duties related to employer engagement, engaging with new and existing employers across the City Region, gaining commitment and supporting employers to adopt recruitment policies and processes that will encourage implementation of the Board’s objectives.

Michael Parker - ESF Transnational Officer

Michael's role is to directly support the delivery of the partnership's ESF Transnational project on Employer Engagement and Leadership, identifying and working with Transnational partners to examine employer engagement strategies and develop collaborative ways of working and learn from exchanging and embedding best practice.      

Emma Wright - Financial Monitoring Officer

Emma's role is to implement effective finance management processes to accurately provide evidence for external funding bodies and to enable accurate monitoring of performance for the DWP Future Jobs Fund programme. This includes supporting a small team to deliver the programme and being responsible for providing financial monitoring evidence through effective financial management processes.

Claire Leighton - Future Jobs Fund Coordinator

Claire's role is to develop a project management role for the DWP Future Jobs Fund Programme. This includes supporting a small team to deliver the programme, being responsible for developing and managing effective and appropriate project management, monitoring and financial monitoring processes.

Geoffrey Oliver - Employment Officer - Future Jobs Fund

Geoff's role is a development and monitoring role for the DWP Future Jobs Fund programme. This includes delivering support and monitoring functions across 7 Local Authority areas and with separate City Region Employers, as well as being responsible for developing and managing effective and appropriate project delivery, quality and financial monitoring processes.

Rebecca Law - Employment Officer - Future Jobs Fund

Geoff's role is a development and monitoring role for the DWP Future Jobs Fund programme. This includes delivering support and monitoring functions across 7 Local Authority areas and with separate City Region Employers, as well as being responsible for developing and managing effective and appropriate project delivery, quality and financial monitoring processes.

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