Stockton JSNA

Issue number

1 = highest priority

Strategic Issue

1 & 4

30% of residents of Stockton-on-Tees surveyed by Ipsos Mori in 2015 mentioned job prospects as an important aspect of making somewhere a good place to live.

16% of residents surveyed in Stockton-on-Tees believed that their personal financial circumstances would get worse over the next 12 months, but of those residents that were workless, 27% answered this way.

The ‘Stockton Youth Employment Fund’ is a project that supports local employers by means of a grant to help them create new apprenticeship opportunities for Stockton-on-Tees’ residents aged 1-#24.

Young people were asked questions both before and 13 weeks after being on the initiative.  After 13 weeks there were more people answering “often” and “all the time” for every question. The increase in frequency of these answers is shown below and confirms the positive effect employment can have on health and wellbeing.

Consultation with professionals in the Stockton Borough Council’s Youth Offending Service and support organisations has revealed how previous convictions amongst young people can act as a barrier to training and employment as training providers and employers are reluctant to take on someone with a previous conviction.

This problem is not restricted to younger people as other support charities have commented on how historic offences are limiting future employment opportunities for ex-offenders.  The reduced opportunity to gain steady employment and gain an increased income increases the risk of re##offending and is an example of a negative feedback loop that needs to be broken.

Anecdotally, an indicator of the income levels of residents is to consider those that are eligible to receive Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax support that are also in employment / self##employment (as these are means tested benefits).  Consultation with Stockton Borough Council’s Housing Benefit and Council Tax teams revealed that at the end of the financial year 2016-2017 there were 2815 claimants in employment (including 488 self##employed), which equates to 3% of all those in employment. 

2

28% of residents of Stockton##on##Tees surveyed by Ipsos Mori in 2015 cited ‘job prospects’ as an area that needed improvement locally.  A similar study by Ipsos Mori in 2014 nationally had a comparable response; with 30% saying ‘job prospects needed to improve’.

3

16% of Stockton-on-Tees’ employers stated they had a member of staff not fully proficient (England average = 14%).

33% of survey respondents stated they had a member of staff who was under##utilised (had a role below the level they were qualified to work at) (England average = 30%).

4

In the UKCES Employer Perspectives Survey (2014), 21% of Tees Valley survey respondents stated they currently employ an apprentice compared to 15% nationally whilst 41% stated they intend to recruit and apprentices in the future compared to 35% nationally.

From ‘Key Facts about Apprenticeships’ information (Gov.uk):

• Nearly all apprentices feel that they acquire or improve their skills as a direct result of their apprenticeship.
• 89% of apprentices are satisfied with their apprenticeship; 97% of apprentices said their ability to do the job had improved, and 92% of apprentices said their career prospects had improved.
• Nearly 9 out of 10 (89%) apprentices were satisfied with their apprenticeship overall, and 97% of apprentices said their ability to do the job had improved.
• The majority (92%) of apprentices in work felt that their apprenticeship had had a positive impact on their career.
• 87% of employers said they were satisfied with the programme, 76% say that productivity has improved and 75% reported that apprenticeships improved the quality of their product or service.