We’re proud to say we are a UNESCO city of learning, which means you can rely on a world-class talent pool for the future. Nurturing, attracting and keeping talented people is key to our One City Economic Recovery and Renewal Strategy and our inward investment proposition. And central to that is inclusive, accessible training and skills for all our citizens.
Partnering with our universities, training partners and employers, we will deploy a comprehensive strategy that focuses on employment support, apprenticeships, adult and community learning and young careers and pathways.
To ensure success and fulfilment across our diverse population, we will:
Working across Bristol, the Employment Support Team focuses on inclusive employment and improving career prospects.
The team organise job fairs, host networking meetings, and link together support agencies, colleges and employers to help residents secure employment, employers to fill vacancies and skills shortages to be addressed. We work with partners across Bristol and the West of England to provide training, job seeking and in-work support.
Strategic Alignments
The team’s work aligns with our city’s ambitions for everyone to be treated fairly and live with hope. Its outputs of driving sustainability and future resilience underpin key parts how we will measure against and deliver the sustainable development goals:
Respond to rising unemployment
SDG: 8.5, 8.6
Increase access to employment support services
SDG: 1.2, 8.5, 10.2, 10.3, 16.6
Boost support for young people
SDG: 4.1, 4.4, 5.4, 8.6
Work with employers to support inclusive growth and improve the quality of work
SDG: 5.5
The South Bristol Enterprise Support (SBES) scheme offers a range of support to new entrepreneurs and small to medium-sized enterprises, including advice and support packages, bursaries and grants, access to workshops, and coaching. It aims to target entrepreneurs and businesses based in disadvantaged communities and from under-represented groups in enterprise across South Bristol.
South Bristol businesses are being urged to join the engineers, cake bakers and wine retailers already benefiting from SBES’s targeted support over the next three tough years of significant economic challenges. Bristol City Council is leading the partnership, which also includes Knowle West Media Centre, The Princes Trust, School for Social Entrepreneurs, and YTKO.
A similar scheme targeting communities across North and East Bristol Support (NEBS) also launched in early 2021 with YTKO as the delivery partner. The projects have been supported by, Bristol City Council, WECA and ERDF funding and were a priority before COVID-19.
Alignments
Reduce the risk of business failure in the short term
SDG: 8.1, 10
Support business to diversify and be more resilient
SDG: 8.2
Work with key industry sectors and business leaders to address under-representation
SDG: 8.5, 10.2, 10.3
Vocational training and skills pathways to sustainable careers
SDG: 4.3, 4.4, 9.4, 13.2
The One City Apprenticeship scheme, key to our One City Economic Recovery and Renewal Strategy, is a co-ordinated approach to apprenticeship supporting diverse recruitment across public, private and SME employers. We also actively support SMEs in priority neighbourhoods to take up work trials and apprenticeships.
The Bristol City Council apprenticeships scheme, Bristol Apprentices, supports apprentices in business administration, customer service, finance, media, horticulture, ICT, engineering, sports coaching, cookery, health and social care, or human resource management.
And in construction On Site Bristol is designed to deliver skilled labour in many trades and support our recovery and city-wide construction and development programmes.
Other initiatives include Proud to Care – building a critical skills talent pipeline, and Workforce for the Future.
Alignments
Our apprenticeship schemes support a broad range of our sustainable development goals:
Develop a One City Apprenticeship scheme
SDG: 8.6, 10.2, 17.7
Expand apprenticeships in the construction sector
SDG: 8.6, 9.4, 12.2, 13.2
The Young Careers and Pathways team can support employers looking to build and develop their future workforce.
Pre 16 work
Bristol WORKS is building a unique collaboration between employers, Pre 16 learning providers, and local communities to develop a skilled local workforce. Our aim is to offer bespoke experience of work programmes created with schools, based on the needs of young people.
Research suggests that young adults who had four or more experiences of work while at school are five times more likely to engage in further education, employment and training.
For more information contact works@bristol.gov.uk and follow our projects on twitter #bristolWORKS
Post 16 work
The Post 16 participation team encourage and support young people to participate in education, employment or training.
We offer support for young people to recognise their skills and and help to apply for education opportunities or employment vacancies. Often young people require work experience to help them explore the world of work. If as an employer you would like to work with young people through this programme please email Post16participation@bristol.gov.uk
