FINAL Updated: 7th April 2009 Neighbourhood Employment and Skills Plan Princes End (2008 –10) 1 FINAL Updated: 7th April 2009 NEIGHBOURHOOD EMPLOYMENT AND SKILLS PLAN (NESP) FOR PRINCES END, SANDWELL 1. Introduction 1.1. Name of Neighbourhood/Ward Covered This Employment and Skills Plan is for Princes End ward. Princes End ward is one of three wards in Tipton Town, in the Northwest of the borough. For the purposes of this Plan, the pre-2004 ward boundary has been used, because this is the area that has been used in the calculation of the Sandwell Local Area Agreement (LAA) ward targets. Further, the analysis undertaken to identify priority wards across the borough was based on data for pre-2004 ward boundaries. Most official economic data is also based on these boundaries. Fig. 1: Tipton Town’s Ward Boundaries, with Princes End Ward Highlighted 1.2. Vision and Purpose The City Strategy’s purpose is to provide a single Employment and Skills Plan for each priority ward, bringing together the work of the local authority, JobCentre Plus (JCP) and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The aim is to equip local people with the necessary skills and competencies for sustainable employment and to provide employers with an adequate supply of labour to meet their current and future skill needs. 1.3. Relevant Local Group The Employment and Skills Panel is responsible for managing the delivery and scrutiny of the NESPs. This entails consultation with partners and the local community, providing a forum for examining delivery. There is a clear report back mechanism on the progress via the Economic Regeneration and Skills Division so that groups can see that their views are taken into account and acted upon. Where delivery gaps occur the Sandwell Partnership will take responsibility for overcoming them. 2 FINAL Updated: 7th April 2009 2. Analysis of Need in the Neighbourhood 2.1. Labour Demand – Employment Profile The number of jobs within the ward is fairly low as Princes End is a largely residential area. This means that the majority of the residents need to travel to work opportunities. Fig. 2: Employment in Princes End, 2006 Prince End % Sandwell % Male Full-Time 47 51 Male Part-Time 5 6 Female Full-Time 25 23 Female Part-Time 24 20 Total 100 100 All Male 51 57 All Female 49 43 Total 100 100 All Full-Time 71 74 All Part-Time 29 26 Total 100 100 Base 2,983 126,104 Source: ABI 2006/NOMIS ABI 2006 discontinuity: There are significant discontinuities which affect comparisons of the 2006 ABI/1 employment estimates with earlier years. Employment in the ward is slightly higher among women compared with the borough average and lower among men. Overall full time employment is slightly lower than the borough average while part-time employment is marginally higher. Fig. 3: Industry of Employees, 2006 Employees- Employees- Industry Group Ward % Sandwell % 1 : Agriculture and fishing (SIC A,B) - - - - 2 : Energy and water (SIC C,E) - - - - 3 : Manufacturing (SIC D) 928 32.9 27,873 22.4 4 : Construction (SIC F) - - 7,075 5.7 5 : Distribution, hotels and restaurants (SIC G,H) 1,173 41.6 29,135 23.4 6 : Transport and communications (SIC I) - - 7,611 6.1 7 : Banking, finance and insurance, etc (SIC J,K) 111 3.9 16,058 12.9 8 : Public administration, education & health (SIC L,M,N) 606 21.5 27,636 22.2 9 : Other services (SIC O,P,Q) - - 9,121 7.3 Total 2,818 124,509 100 Source: ABI 2006/NOMIS Some values suppressed due to confidentiality restrictions (Statistics of Trade Act 1947). Totals and percentages given are of the non-confidential data. ABI 2006 discontinuity: There are significant discontinuities which affect comparisons of the 2006 ABI/1 employment estimates with earlier years. Figure 3 shows Distribution, hotels and restaurants, Manufacturing, and Public administration, education and health to be the largest employment sectors in Princes End ward. 3 FINAL Updated: 7th April 2009 However, although the data provides an idea of employment opportunities within the ward, it should be noted that the area within which the ward’s residents work will be much wider than this (for further information see Travel to Work section, page 6). Please note that Figure 4 relates to the industry in which Princes End residents work, as opposed to Figures 2 and 3, which relate to employment in workplaces based within the ward. The industries employing the greatest numbers of residents in 2001 were ‘Manufacturing’ and ‘Wholesale, retail and repair of motor vehicles’ both of which employ higher proportions than Sandwell as a whole. Fig. 4: Industry of Princes End Ward Residents in Employment, 2001 Number Sandwell Industry Group in ward % % All people 16-74 in employment 5073 Agriculture, hunting, forestry 21 0.4 0.3 Fishing 0 0.0 0.0 Mining and Quarrying 6 0.1 0.1 Manufacturing 1691 33.3 26.0 Electricity, gas and water 49 1.0 0.9 Construction 317 6.3 6.3 Wholesale & retail, Repair of Motor Vehicles 1090 21.5 18.7 Hotels and Catering 172 3.4 4.2 Transport, Storage and Communication 269 5.3 6.8 Financial Intermediation 107 2.1 2.9 Real Estate, Renting & Business Activities 403 7.9 9.4 Public Admin. & Defence 139 2.7 4.1 Education 240 4.7 6.0 Health & Social Work 378 7.5 10.3 Other 191 3.8 4.1 Source: 2001 Census, Key Statistics People in employment aged 16-74 Self Employment Self employment is not necessarily to be taken as an indicator of good economic health for either the locality or the individual. It can represent an individual’s inability to find employment opportunities in the area. However, current government policy is based on the premise that economic activity contributes to overall output of the local economy and that a locality with a low level of economic activity is not fulfilling its full potential. Information and data on this aspect of formal economic activity is difficult to obtain at (ward) level and estimates as to the size of Sandwell’s informal economy remain as elusive as ever. At this time it is unclear as to how throughput data in relation to enterprise support is to be obtained as the region’s new Business Link delivery model is not yet up and running. The 2001 Census of Population shows Princes End to have 312 people in self-employment, or 4% of the 16-59/64 year old population, below the Sandwell and nation figures of 5.2% and 9% respectively. 4 FINAL Updated: 7th April 2009 Local Employers Princes End is largely a residential ward, some of the main employers in surrounding wards are: Laird Security Hardware Limited, Bloomfield Park Industrial Estate, Great Bridge Sigmacast Iron Limited, Upper Church Lane, Tipton Asda, Great Bridge Red Mill Snack Foods Ltd, Globe Street, Wednesbury Tulip Fresh Meats Ltd, George Henry Road, Wednesbury Opportunities Although there is significant regeneration activity planned within Sandwell, none of this activity is specifically targeted at Princes End ward. Neighbouring ward Wednesbury North is included in the North Sandwell Action Plan which will deliver £11million economic and community regeneration projects by December 2008. Tipton is generally losing employment to housing. There has been a large amount of residential development in the Tipton area in recent years and this is set to continue. Travel To Work Activity Princes End has poor access to public transport1 and low levels of car ownership (2001 Census of Population). This is a particular issue given that the number of job opportunities based in the area is relatively low. The 2001 Census shows that there are 847 residents of Princes End who work within the ward. Another 1981 workers travel into the ward to work while 4145 travel out of the ward to work. This results in an overall net out-flow of 2164 workers, which is probably due to the low number of jobs available in this largely residential ward. Within Sandwell, the greatest movements of people travelling into Princes End to work tend to come from neighbouring wards especially Tipton Green and Great Bridge. The greatest movements out of Princes End also tend to go towards these neighbouring wards, although there are also significant movements towards wards with considerable employment opportunities such a West Bromwich Central, Oldbury and Greets Green and Lyng. More people commute into Princes End from outside of Sandwell than within Sandwell; these incoming commuters come primarily from Dudley, with significant numbers also from Wolverhampton and Walsall. More Princes End residents tend to travel within Sandwell than outside, those that do commute outside of the borough also tend to go to Dudley, followed by Wolverhampton and Walsall. Fig. 5: Journey to Work Movements within Sandwell Work in Princes End Live in Princes End Origin No. % Destination No. % Princes End 847 54.7 Princes End 847 26.9 Great Bridge 148 9.6 Tipton Green 502 16.0 Tipton Green 148 9.6 Great Bridge 354 11.3 Wednesbury South 78 5.0 Wednesbury South 320 10.2 1 (Bywater, A. (2005) Neighbourhood Analysis) 5 FINAL Updated: 7th April 2009 Hateley Heath 40 2.6 West Bromwich Central 274 8.7 Wednesbury North 38 2.5 Oldbury 186 5.9 Tividale 30 1.9 Wednesbury North 166 5.3 Friar Park 27 1.7 Greets Green and Lyng 129 4.1 Charlemont 22 1.4 St. Pauls 101 3.2 Great Barr 22 1.4 Hateley Heath 61 1.9 Langley 22 1.4 Soho and Victoria 51 1.6 Oldbury 21 1.4 Cradley Heath and Old Hill 32 1.0 West Bromwich Central 16 1.0 Friar Park 27 0.9 Rowley 15 1.0 Langley 18 0.6 Greets Green and Lyng 13 0.8 Blackheath 16 0.5 Cradley Heath and Old Hill 11 0.7 Charlemont 13 0.4 Abbey 10 0.6 Abbey 10 0.3 Newton 9 0.6 Rowley 9 0.3 Blackheath 8 0.5 Smethwick 8 0.3 St.