From early years to employment: three place-based partnerships driving change
Place matters in education. Where a child grows up shapes their opportunities at every stage – from early years support, to attainment, to enrichment, to skills and work.
If we’re going to create more equitable systems, we need solutions that are tailored to local context and designed in partnership with the people who are closest to the issues. That’s why we created our Place-Based Collaboration Partnerships: deep, long-term, funded projects to improve life chances for children and young people in partnership with three mayoral combined authorities (MCAs).
Each partnership focuses on a different stage of the journey from childhood to employment, reflecting the priorities of the region while contributing to shared learning across the Alliance.
Here’s an introduction to each Collaboration Partnership from the MCA project leads.
South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority: building support for young people who are NEET or at risk of being NEET
“Our partnership brings a place-based focus to a national challenge: the number of young people not in education, employment or training. In South Yorkshire, the NEET rate is higher than the national average, and too often the support available is fragmented and difficult to navigate.
We want to change this. We will develop early, intensive, wraparound support in two neighbourhoods where need is greatest, ensuring young people can access joined-up support before they disengage. And we will co-design our approach with local young people, employers and third sector organisations as well as with colleagues in Local Authorities, so it reflects the realities of their lives and the local labour market.
We’re really excited about the expertise we can draw on, both from the FEA and its 300-member coalition. By working together, we aim not only to improve outcomes locally, but to share learning widely so it informs the national conversation on youth opportunity.”
- Jenny Holmes, Director of Work and Health, SYMCA
While South Yorkshire focuses on strengthening transitions into education, training and work, our partnership in the West Midlands is exploring how collaboration across sectors can address youth unemployment at a systems level.
West Midlands Combined Authority: co-producing a new approach to youth unemployment
“The West Midlands is one of the youngest and most diverse regions in Europe which is a significant strength. Yet parts of the region also experience some of the highest rates of youth unemployment in the country.1 And the reasons are complex and intersectional: deprivation, ill health, the availability of youth services, educational attainment and the jobs market all play a part.
Recognising this complexity, our Collaboration Partnership with the FEA will bring together stakeholders with a mix of diverse lived experience and technical expertise – including FEA members and young people. Together, we will develop a blueprint for how we tackle not only youth unemployment, but other similarly complex issues with multiple stakeholders and causes.
And in addition to launching this model in the West Midlands, we aim to work with the FEA to share the learnings with the Government so that it can be scaled nationwide.”
- Claire Dhami, Head of Systems Change and Inclusion, WMCA
Earlier in a child's journey, our partnership with Liverpool City Region focuses on ensuring every child gets the best start in life – particularly those from low-income backgrounds.
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority: supporting more children to get the best start in life
“We are excited about what can be achieved by the Collaboration Partnership, which will build on the pioneering work already underway across the City Region, supporting schools and colleges and improving access to skills and employment. Bringing everyone together is a unique opportunity.
We will co-design locally driven interventions to support more children from disadvantaged backgrounds to achieve good levels of development, ensuring greater educational equity from an earlier age. The Best Start in Life initiative will create opportunities to learn, share and shape national policy and delivery.
As we embark on this collaboration, we are looking forward to strengthening existing relationships and building new ones. Our six local authorities have a wealth of knowledge and experience of their areas and communities, while Early Years professionals and FEA members across the region work tirelessly to provide the best start in life for children and their families.”
- Emma Dickinson, Principal Officer, Policy and Strategy, LCRCA
Together, these partnerships demonstrate how place-based collaboration can tackle educational inequity at different stages of a child or young person’s journey - from the early years to transitions into employment.
Our Place-Based Collaboration Programme is a vital part of our Neighbourhood to National strategy: deepening collaboration across sectors and silos, building evidence of the policies and practices that work, and sparking local innovation to inspire national change.
