Trailblazing opportunities for a stronger, fairer North East
Date published:
The Chamber’s latest column for The Journal by Jessie Kelly-Baxter, senior policy advisor at the Chamber.
Many of us know that the North East is a wonderful place to live and work. It is, however, not without its challenges, and the government’s launch of its Get Britain Working White Paper outlines how our two mayoral combined authorities – the North East Combined Authority (NECA) and Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) – will shortly receive funding for two trailblazers to address some of the region’s issues.
The NECA will hold the economic inactivity trailblazer, which seeks to tackle the link between ill health and inactivity. A person is identified as being economically inactive if they are not in employment, have not sought work within the last four weeks and/or are unable to enter the workforce in the next two weeks.
While being classed as economically inactive can relate to those who are retired or students, the focus of this trailblazer is supporting those whose physical and mental health may be restricting their access to employment.
Meanwhile, further south in our region, the TVCA will pilot the youth trailblazer, which will aim to identify – and then support – young people who are at risk of falling out of education or training.
Both trailblazers are due to begin this spring and will help to shape real, meaningful and place-based solutions to issues we know our region faces. This is a chance to help showcase that devolution can work, and that no one knows our region better than those of us who live here.
There is a clear link between these trailblazers, and with child poverty, ill health, economic inactivity, and skills acquisition gaps all cyclically linked, the importance of cross-regional collaboration is clear.
The Chamber team has been researching, thinking and talking skills and policy as part of the two Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) for the North of Tyne and Tees Valley. We are a region with huge amounts of skill and potential, and businesses and organisations across the North East are working hard to support young people and the economically inactive.
These trailblazers, and collaborative working, provide a real opportunity for a stronger, fairer North East.