UPDATE REPORT
Future Oxfordshire Partnership
30 July 2024
This report provides updates on progress of the Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership (OIEP) following the presentation of the OIEP Annual Report to the Future Oxfordshire Partnership (FOP) 28th November 2023.
Working Group Updates
Educational Attainment
- Supported ARCh to obtain grant funding to enable the recruitment of a volunteer co-ordinator so that they can reach more school
- OIEP continue to refer charter signees that pledge to support ARCh and promote through our networks.
- OIEP have continued to work with health partners to identify funding for the school readiness programme, Growing Minds, to expand to Blackbird Leys.
- Planning an Early Years Summit in Autumn 2024 in collaboration with University of Oxford and the County Council, aimed at early years practitioners, academics and organisations, school readiness and lifelong learning network members, relevant business and philanthropies
Inclusive Employment
Supporting Prison Leavers into Employment
- Employers day at Bullingdon Prison in September 2023, vacancies from attendees are now being placed with the prison employment hub, including from Cherwell District Council
- Will be arranging a follow up employers day at Bullingdon prison in the Autumn/Winter
- OIEP Manager has been invited to be a representative on the Employment Advisory Board (EAB) at Bullingdon prison.
Supporting Refugees into Employment
- Held second HR Network seminar 7th March with speakers from Asylum Welcome, Aspire and the NHS.
- Provided signposting to employment and advice organisations for Engaged with the Oxfordshire Hong Kongers
- Brought International Rescue Committee free on-line and in person job readiness training, for refugees and asylum seekers with the right to work, to Oxfordshire. Brining together key stakeholders across the county to identify people who would benefit. Delivered first in person training session 10th May.
Age friendly employers
· Delivered an Age Without Limits communication campaign on LinkedIn week commencing 18th March to link in with Age without Limits day of action 20th March
· There is an age friendly employer page on the new OIEP website with links to resources/toolkits from the Centre for Ageing Better.
- Future HR Network events for this year will be focusing on military and military family and staff wellbeing.
- Additional resource to develop this work has been provided to the OIEP by the County Council with 1 day a week of a graduate placements time for 6 months – October 2023-March 2024.
Social Value and Procurement
· Initial meeting of Social Value and Procurement Task Force 13th December 2023, bringing together anchor organisations with the key aim is to deliver social value that meets local needs and supports oganisational objectives
· Communication campaign currently being drafted to increase awareness and understanding of social value through procurement, as well as highlighted examples of best practice across the county.
Place-based
- Developed a Theory of Change for the OIEP:
Successfully bid for Local Policy Lab researchers to look at the development of an evaluation plan to assess the impact of the work of the Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership.
Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Charter
It's been
a year since we launched the Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Charter,
calling on organisations and individuals in Oxfordshire to pledge
to make positive changes to tackle inequality.
Since then, nearly 100 organisations have pledged their support. We
continue to share their inspiring stories, and celebrate the
fantastic work that's being done across the County to make it a
better place to live and work for everyone. As well as
working to increase the number of charter signees.
Additional Partnership Updates
Research
Community Impact Fellows Programme
OIEP has been chosen as one of five organisations across the county to participate in a new scheme, the Community Impact Fellows programme delivered through the SDG Policy Lab. The programme will enable small groups of Oxford University graduate students to work collaboratively on short-term research projects that can deliver local community impact. Two students are currently working on a research project focusing on community hubs with the following goals:
· Mapping the Community Hubs in the County, understanding their similarities and services to the population
· Raise the best practices within the Community Hubs, facilitating the knowledge exchange between them
· Better understand the needs and demands of Community Hubs members, especially the ones facing barriers to employment
Local Policy Lab
The Local Policy Lab is a collaboration between the County Council, Brookes University and University of Oxford. Two students have been allocated to research the development of an evaluation plan to assess the impact of the work of the Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership.
Crankstart Summer Internship
Crankstart Scholars are UK resident students commencing their first undergraduate degree with a household income of £32,500 or less, one of the elements if a 6 wekk paid internship. OIEP has been offered the opportunity of a Crankstart intern who will be looking at creating a toolkit for employers in Oxfordshire to create exceptional pathways for employing refugees and asylum seekers with the right to work.
Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) Workforce Development Partnerships (WDPs)
OIEP is participating in the WDP’s which serve as a collaborative forum bringing together employers along with education and training providers to address workforce development challenges and formulate effective solutions.
Oxfordshire Anchor Network
The Oxfordshire Anchor Network event held on the 8th of April convened leaders and senior representatives from across Oxfordshire to consider priorities for Anchor institutions across Oxfordshire to focus on in their respective efforts. Participant feedback will be used to shape thoughts and proposals on how the OAN and constituent organisations move forward to support and hold one another to account.
Communications
- New OIEP website was launched at the end of last year at oiep.org.uk
- The second edition of the OIEP newsletter has now been published. The first OIEP newsletter was sent out in January 2024 celebrating one year of the charter and showcasing case studies from OIEP Charter pledgers.
OIEP Seminars
At the beginning of the year OIEP held its first seminar on the topic of exploring tools for inclusive and sustainable decision making, the second seminar in the series was held 23rd May focusing on regional banking.