Fiscal Stimulus: Budget allocation to Education, Sport and Culture for Skills and Training Projects

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A decision made 13 June 2011 regarding:

Decision Reference: MD-TR-2011-0066
Decision Summary Title:	Fiscal Stimulus Budget Allocation to Education, Sport and Culture Department for Skills and Training Projects		Date of Decision Summary:	5th June 2011
Decision Summary Author:	Treasurer of the States		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt?	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:	N/A
Written Report Title:	Fiscal Stimulus Budget Allocation to Education, Sport and Culture Department for Skills and Training Projects		Date of Written Report:	5th June 2011
Written Report Author:	Fiscal Stimulus Programme Manager		Written Report : Public or Exempt?	Public
Subject: Fiscal Stimulus Budget Allocation to Education, Sport and Culture Department for Skills and Training Projects.
Decision(s): The Minister decided to allocate £2,162,276 from the Treasury and Resources Fiscal Stimulus head of expenditure to the Education, Sport and Culture Department revenue head of expenditure of which £675,061 will be allocated in 2011 and £1,487,215 to be allocated by Treasury and Resources in 2012. The Minister further decided to provide a temporary extension to manpower approvals already given in connection with the Fiscal Stimulus Skills and Training Projects (39 headcount and 28.5 FTE) until August 2012.
Reason(s) for Decision: A discretionary Fiscal Stimulus allocation from the Stabilisation Fund of £44m has already been approved (P55/2009). Further to this the Minister for Treasury and Resources is required to approve individual project allocations. The Minister for Treasury and Resources announced his intention for this allocation in a Statement on a matter of Official Responsibility to the States Assembly on 16th February 2011 and reiterated this decision in R67/2011: Fiscal Stimulus: Financial and Performance Review. Article 15(1)(a) of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2005 states that all or any part of the amount appropriated by a head of expenditure may, with the approval of the Minister for Treasury and Resources, be used for the purposes of another head of expenditure. In addition, P67/1999: Regulation of Public Sector Employees, charges the Minister for Treasury and Resources to regulate the number of persons that may be employed by the States of Jersey.
Resource Implications: The T&R Fiscal Stimulus head of expenditure to decrease by £2,162,276. The Education, Sport and Culture Department Skills and Training head of expenditure to increase by £675,061 in 2011 with a further allocation of £1,487,215 in 2012. This decision does not increase the total amount of expenditure approved by the States.
Action required: Fiscal Stimulus Programme Manager to inform the Head of Financial Performance Reporting and the Finance Director of Education, Sport and Culture Department that the transfer has been approved.
Signature:		Position: Senator P F C Ozouf, Minister for Treasury and Resources
Date Signed:		Date of Decision:

Fiscal Stimulus: Budget allocation to Education, Sport and Culture for Skills and Training Projects

Treasury and Resources

Ministerial Decision Report

FISCAL STIMULUS BUDGET ALLOCATION TO EDUCATION, SPORT AND CULTURE FOR SKILLS AND TRAINING

Purpose of Report

To enable the Minister for Treasury and Resources to approve the allocation of £2,162,276 (£675,061 in 2011 and £1,487,215 in 2012) from the Treasury and Resources Fiscal Stimulus head of expenditure to the Education, Sport and Culture Department revenue head of expenditure.

Background

The States has previously approved funding of £44 million to undertake Fiscal Stimulus (P55/2009 Economic Stimulus Plan).

Skills and Training programmes (Additional places at Highlands, ESC Careers [service] strengthening, Advance to Work, Advance Plus) have been funded by Fiscal Stimulus for the period September 2009 to August 2010 and September 2010 to August 2011. A further application was received for Skills and Training funding between September 2011 and August 2012, and while meeting the majority of Fiscal Stimulus criteria, failed to meet the ‘Timely’ criteria.

On 16th February 2011 the Minister for Treasury and Resources made a Statement on a matter of Official Responsibility to the States Assembly announcing his intention to vary the timeframe for Fiscal Stimulus allocations that were set out in P55/2009 and to extend the funding of the Skills and Training programmes for the period September 2011 to August 2012.

3. Skills and Training

Skills and Training is made up of four sections:

1. Provision for additional students at Highlands College. Highlands is funded for 740 fte students. Additional funding provided through fiscal stimulus has enabled the College to increase its capacity to approximately 900 students.

2. Strengthening the Careers Service to provide additional advisor appointments, careers and employment fairs and to deliver training such as confidence building and CV clinics

3. The Advance to Work Scheme is aimed at supporting 16-19 year olds seeking on-the-job training and support to find employment.

4. Advance Plus provides tailored training and careers guidance for those young adults in the 19 – 25 year old age range.

Report R67/2011 Fiscal Stimulus: Financial and Performance Review, issued 3rd June 2011, summarised the Skills and Training achievements as:

Highlands Additional Spaces: Fiscal Stimulus has funded

an additional 93 spaces in 2009-2010
an additional 156 spaces in 2010-2011
an additional 40 spaces in 2011-2012 for students who enrolled in a two year course in September 2010

Careers Strengthening: Fiscal Stimulus has funded

additional Careers support on Job fairs, CV workshops, careers advice and targeted training
additional support has led to an overall 400% increase in Advisor appointments for those seeking careers support.

Advance to Work: a full-time work experience and off-the-job training option for young jobseekers between the ages of 16-19.

285 young people have been on placement with 200 companies
116 have since managed to secure employment since participation on the course.

Advance Plus: Similar to Advance to Work, it is a more concentrated programme of vocational training and work experience for adults 20+ years of age.

Advance to Administration and Retail have been completed and further courses on Hospitality, Book Keeping, Finance & Accounting are planned
courses have been over-subscribed and there is a high success rate in achieving employment following attendance on the scheme.

The additional allocation of funds will allow all four sections of the programme to be funded for the period September 2011 to August 2012.

4. Recommendation

The Minister for Treasury and Resources is recommended to approve the allocation of £2,162,276 from the Treasury and Resources Fiscal Stimulus head of expenditure to the Education, Sport and Culture Department revenue head of expenditure of which £675,061 will be allocated in 2011 and £1,487,215 to be allocated by Treasury and Resources in 2012.

The Minister is also recommended to approve a temporary extension to manpower approvals already given in connection with the Fiscal Stimulus Skills and Training Projects (39 headcount and 28.5 FTE) until August 2012.

5. Reason for Decision

A discretionary Fiscal Stimulus allocation from the Stabilisation Fund of £44m has already been approved (P55/2009). Further to this the Minister for Treasury and Resources is required to approve individual project allocations.

The Minister for Treasury and Resources announced his intention for this allocation in a Statement on a matter of Official Responsibility to the States Assembly on 16th February 2011 and reiterated this decision in R67/2011: Fiscal Stimulus: Financial and Performance Review.

Article 15(1)(a) of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2005 states that all or any part of the amount appropriated by a head of expenditure may, with the approval of the Minister for Treasury and Resources, be used for the purposes of another head of expenditure.

In addition, P67/1999: Regulation of Public Sector Employees, charges the Minister for Treasury and Resources to regulate the number of persons that may be employed by the States of Jersey.

6. Resource Implications

The T&R Fiscal Stimulus head of expenditure to decrease by £2,162,276. The Education, Sport and Culture Department Skills and Training head of expenditure to increase by £675,061 in 2011 with a further allocation of £1,487,215 in 2012. This decision does not increase the total amount of expenditure approved by the States.

Report author : Fiscal Stimulus Programme Manager	Document date :5th June 2011
Quality Assurance / Review : Head of Decision Support	File name and path: L:\Treasury\Sections\Corporate Finance\Ministerial Decisions\DSs, WRs and SDs\2011-0066 - Fiscal Stimulus - Skills and Training - KH\WR - Fiscal Stimulus Skills and Training - LJR.doc
MD Sponsor : Treasurer of the States