Employment Futures:

Opportunities for People and Place Wednesday 5 December 2018 Registration: 08.00 – 09.15 Conference: 09.15 – 17.00 Networking drinks reception: 17.00 – 18.00

The Tower Hotel, St Katharine's Way, London E1W 1LD

If 2018 has been about questions, 2019 will be about answers.

What will replace the European Social Fund? How will the UK labour market situation respond to Brexit? Are combined authorities the answer to integrated employment and skills? Will robots really take our jobs?

This year the ERSA Annual Conference will seek to answer the most pressing questions asked by you over the last year, ranging from what is the opportunity around rehabilitation and prison to how your organisation might access money through the Department for Work and Pensions’ Dynamic Purchasing System. The focus will be unashamedly upbeat.

Regardless of what the future might bring, ERSA exists to support you deliver the very best employment support services. So book your place now to hear politicians, economists, providers and policy experts do their very best in crystal ball gazing. They might not have all the answers, but we’ll learn and network along the way.

The ERSA Conference Programme 2018 – sponsored by 08.00 - 09.15 Registration and networking 08.00 – 09.00 Institute of Employability Professionals Breakfast (Discovery Suite) The Employability Practitioner Standard - What's next? 09.15 - 09.20 Welcome and introduction to the day Kirsty McHugh, Conference Chair and Chief Executive, ERSA 09.20 – 09.30 Chair’s Address: Brian Bell, Chair of the ERSA Board 09.30 – 10.00 Ministerial Address: Sarah Newton MP, Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work 10.00 – 11.15 Plenary 1: Uncertain Waters Ahead? Navigating economic and political uncertainties With every other day a ‘crunch day’ in our national political life, this session will explore the potential economic and political issues affecting the year ahead. Our contributors will share their insights into what government and business are really thinking and what this all means at the frontline. • Phillip Blond, Chief Executive, Respublica • Neil Carberry, Chief Executive, The & Employment Confederation • Kayley Hignall, Head of Policy, Citizen’s Advice • Richard Clifton, Director of Integrated Services,

11.15 – 11.45 Refreshments and networking 11.45 – 12.45 Breakouts 1 – 4 • Enterprise and self-employment: Building the UK’s entrepreneurial future • Race, Ethnicity and Employment • Young People – is the Youth Obligation Working? • No One Left Behind: The Future of Prison Education 12.45 – 13.45 Lunch and networking

13.45 – 13.50 Welcome back Kirsty McHugh, Conference Chair and Chief Executive, ERSA 13.50 – 14.10 Jobseeker showcase: Down Syndrome Association 14.10 – 14.40 Keynote Address: Mike Amesbury MP, Shadow Minister for Employment The ERSA Conference Programme 2018 - continued 14.40 – 15.40 Breakouts 5 – 8 • What Works in Supporting In-Work Progression • The DWP’s Test and Learn Dynamic Purchasing System • Mental Health at Work • Local Enterprise Partnerships 15.40 – 16.55 Plenary 2: Unleashing the potential of people and place With our politics in turmoil, space is being created for innovative leadership at local and regional level. This session will explore the potential for place-based policy to come to the fore, to unleash the potential of people and place. • Neil McInroy, Chief Executive, Centre for Local Economic Strategies (invited) • Johanna Hoyal, Head of DWP Interventions and Local Labour Market Strategy, Department for Work and Pensions

16.55 – 17.00 Chair’s Reflections Kirsty McHugh, Conference Chair and Chief Executive, ERSA 17.00 – 18.00 Networking drinks reception

11.45 – 12.45 Breakouts 1 – 4 Breakout 1: Enterprise & self-employment: Building the UK’s entrepreneurial future (Golden Hind Suite) With self-employment back in the headlines, this session will explore both policy and delivery aspects of the UK’s approach to supporting business start-up and business growth.

• Mike Brook, Director, National Enterprise Network (chair) • Brenda Cabras, Director of Employment and Skills, • Jordan Marshall, Policy Development Manager, Association of Independent Professionals and the Self Employed (IPSE)

Breakout 2: Race, Ethnicity and Employment (Discovery Suite) One year on from the UK’s Race Disparity Audit, this session will explore the most important approaches to closing the race and ethnicity employment gap.

• Kenny Boyle, Director of Marketing and Business Development, PeoplePlus (chair) • Martin Stribblehill, Minority Employment, Integration and Refugees, Department for Work and Pensions • Tebs Rashid, Deputy Chief Executive, BTEG (invited)

Breakout 3: Young People – is the Youth Obligation Working? (Main Hall) The Youth Obligation was supposed to be the flagship approach to tackling youth unemployment. However, it is not yet clear whether it is working. This session will explore the evidence to date and what might need to be changed to make a real difference.

• Sam Windett, Director of Policy, Impetus-PEF (chair) • Jessica Paddock, Further Education Funding, Department for Education • Nicole Dulieu, Research and Evaluation Manager, Young Women's Trust

Breakout 4: No One Left Behind: The Future of Prison Education (Great Harry Suite) Education levels amongst the UK’s prison population have long been a cause of concern, with boosting skills, in many cases, a prerequisite to employment. This session will explore the Government’s new approach to prison education and what works on the ground.

• Asi Panditharatna, Director of Employment Services, Forward Trust • Simon Thornhill, Prison Education, Offender Reform and Commissioning Group, Ministry of Justice

14.40 – 15.40 Breakouts 5-8 Breakout 5: What Works in Supporting In-Work Progression (Golden Hind Suite) Supporting people to progress in work is a measure of a healthy society, however too many Britons seem to be trapped in a cycle of low pay. This session will explore some of the evidence in terms of what works in supporting ‘in work progression’ and looks forward to the National Retraining Scheme.

• Sarah Horner, Head of Policy and Communications, Learning and Work Institute • Andrew Moore, Senior Operations Manager, Prospects Services

Breakout 6: The DWP’s Test and Learn Dynamic Purchasing System (Main Hall) The Department for Work and Pensions has been developing a new approach to providing funding to trial new ideas and strategies, including those aimed at improving health and wellbeing. This session will hear from the DWP lead who will discuss the background and principles behind the new system.

• Kevin Keenan, Test and Learn (Localism) Team Lead, DWP

Breakout 7: Mental Health at Work (Great Harry Suite) With mental health rarely out of the news, this session will explore some of the new approaches emerging to supporting mental health within the workplace.

• Gemma Hope, Director of Policy, Shaw Trust (chair) • Caroline Masundire, Associate Director, Rocket Science • Richard Southorn, Head of Workplace Adjustment Services, Remploy

Breakout 8: Local Enterprise Partnerships (Discovery Suite) With many lessons learned from the first round of probation contracts, this session will look forward to round two – how do we ensure that TR supports ex-offenders with their employment needs?

• Alex Hayes, Managing Director, Employment Services (chair) • Seetec

Exhibitor listing

• Cognisoft • Employment Related Services Association (ERSA) • entitledto – writing pens sponsor • Institute of Employability Professionals (IEP) • Rocket Science – delegate bag sponsor • Seetec – programme sponsor • The Digital College ersa.org.uk/events/ersaconf18 #ersaconf18