Jobseekers’ lack of ‘basic skills’ stand in way of town’s recovery

employers looking for staff in a South Yorkshire town say they are being forced to ignore local candidates because they do not have any of the “basic skills requirements” for modern jobs.

Economic development chiefs in Barnsley have courted so-called “digital employers” in recent years in a bid to move the town and communities away from a reliance on traditional industries.

But a worrying “skills gap” is proving difficult to close, with new companies based in Barnsley having to offer jobs to people from outside the borough because of the poor quality of local applicants.

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According to a report compiled for Barnsley Council’s Economy and Skills Scrutiny Commission, locals were “unable to meet the basic requirements of literacy, numeracy and work-readiness” needed for success.

The commission has now ordered council officers to place more emphasis on ensuring local people are able to access new jobs in the borough in a bid to reduce the huge number of jobless in Barnsley.

Figures produced for the report show that less than half of the working population, 43.8 per cent, has five or more GCSEs, a figure which is more than 15 per cent below the national average.

Meanwhile, 13.5 per cent of the population have no qualifications whatsoever, which is higher than both the regional and national average figures.

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In the report, Barnsley’s borough secretary Andrew Frosdick spells out the problem for councillors in stark terms, saying Barnsley needs a skills “step change”.

He adds: “Unemployment in the borough is 9.6 per cent with youth unemployment a particular problem at 19 per cent and there is a working age benefit claimant rate of 19 per cent.

“The reliance on public sector employment, which makes up almost one third of the total, in a climate of public expenditure reductions and the likely knock-on effects of this spending on private sector employment makes this an even more urgent problem to be addressed.

“If Barnsley people are going to be able to get existing jobs and to take advantage of jobs in new industries, then as a community we need to make sure that we have a labour force which has the skills that employers need and which can help to attract new business and investment.

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“It will be of little use if industry and jobs are attracted which are filled by workers from outside the borough so Barnsley needs a skills ‘step change’”.

The report’s findings will be examined by members of the committee at a meeting on January 23, and a number of “witnesses” are set to be summoned to give opinions on how the problems identified can be addressed.

Among them will be Colin Booth, the principal of Barnsley College, which recently moved into brand new buildings in the centre of the town, and senior officers from the Department of Work and Pensions.

The report points out that the situation will be extremely difficult to turn around, but effort must be made to ensure Barnsley does not fall even further behind.

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It adds: “This is in the context of rising public sector job losses, nationally this estimate has recently been revised upwards from 400,000 jobs lost by 2016, to one of 700,000 lost by 2017.

“The borough has high unemployment. The employment rate is six per cent below the national average. In order to reach the national average employment rate, some 8,100 new jobs will have to be created in the borough.

“To put this in context, even during the period of sustained economic growth between 1999 and 2008 only 25,000 private sector jobs were created across 100 district councils outside London including Barnsley.

“There is, therefore, considerable scepticism as to the prospects of a private sector led revival which could adequately take up the slack of public sector job losses and long term unemployment.”