This document provides a framework for the delivery of CEDA’s activities for the operational year April 2005 to March 2006. This is complemented with up to date information regarding the availability of core and additional resources that will allow the Company to implement the detailed measures and pursue the planned activities.

Importantly the plan is designed to consolidate and reinforce progress achieved during the 04/05 period and contains a coherent set of actions designed to achieve this aim. Implicit within this is the requirement to monitor progress and evaluate the quality of service provision. Ultimately this is designed to ensure we deliver an effective service that maintains a clear client focus, encourages continuous improvement and achieves value for money.

CEDA is committed to continuous improvement and value for money. The operating plane utilises a combination of partnership resources to deliver the planned programme. Significant use is made of challenge funds such as European Structural Funds and where possible partner’s resources are used to maximise leverage potential. We have a consistent and persistent approach to controlling costs and to increasing productivity.

In view of this the document briefly sets out the Company’s operating environment in Castlemilk and beyond along with our aims and objectives for contributing towards regeneration goals and supporting the continued development of the local economy. The organisation’s values and methods are also outlined, as are key highlights from the 04/05 operating year. This is complemented with an overview of issues emerging from the strategic review, which took place in 2003/04, as a final precursor to the account of the planned operational activity, which will be pursued by the various teams within CEDA in the forthcoming year.

BACKGROUND

To set the operating context it is worthwhile restating the issues outlined in the context of the 2004-2007 strategic review. That document identified economic inactivity, high levels of benefit dependency and relative poverty as enduring features of the local economic landscape. The review draws on 2001 census data which shows that despite improvements in the built environment and business infrastructure;

• 51% of the Castlemilk population remain economically inactive compared with a Glasgow average of 39% and the UK average of 23%.
• More than half of the adult population is not active in employment, vocational training or further education.
• 60% of all households are in receipt of income support.
• 70% of children in receipt of free school meals.
• 87% receiving clothing grants.

These factors are set within the context of a city economy which has a readily available range of employment opportunities in an array of sectors including for example; construction, retail, business services, leisure and hospitality. From these combined factors alone it is apparent that effort is required to address the immediate issues of employment access focussing on the hardest to reach, lifelong learning and workforce development.

However, and in addition to this, a broader range of organisational activities focussing on enhancing opportunity within and beyond Castlemilk and designed to strengthen connections between the local and regional economy should be pursued. This would necessarily focus on strengthening the business infrastructure by developing key facilities, providing key services to stimulate inward investments and entrepreneurship, reinforcing community and voluntary organisations and networks and enhancing statutory provision in a way that complements and reflect the visible improvements made to the physical environment.

These activities are consistent with the identifiable aims of a range of policy directives and strategic plans pursued at a national and citywide level. This includes social justice and regeneration measures identified in ‘Closing the Opportunity Gap’, economic development issues outlined in the Scottish Enterprise’ document ‘Smart Successful Scotland’ and the ‘Joint Economic Strategy’ being pursued by the Glasgow City Council and Scottish Enterprise Glasgow.

This strategic and policy environment will provide a range of opportunities and allow the organisation to continue its pursuit of developing the local economy in a way that is consistent with the local strategy outlined by Castlemilk Partnership. The Company’s Mission Statement and Values provide a clear indication of how we intend to capitalise on opportunities and contribute towards the development of the local economy.

MISSION AND VALUES

“CEDA exists to improve the economic vitality of Castlemilk. We will work to improve the social, economic and physical infrastructure of the area.

To do this we will:

Raise the aspirations of residents
Create opportunities for local people
Strengthen the social fabric of the community

And in so doing we will always:

Promote equality
Respect our clients
Undertake our tasks with enthusiasm and a spirit of partnership.”

While maintaining the Mission and Values CEDA will continue to operate within the context of a local economy that continues to pose a number of challenges. The operational plan identifies activities that are designed to consolidate existing services and build on our achievements. This, however, is mindful of the requirement for a strategy to be flexible enough to identify and deal with the challenges and opportunities posed by a dynamic working environment.

IMPLEMENTATION AND STRATEGIC REVIEW

CEDA continued to capitalise on a range of opportunities and deliver a range of key services in activity related to; employability, business start up and development, and the provision of access to accommodation. In addition to this many of the achievements of 2004-2005 were driven by issues identified within the context of the strategic review which took place in 2003-2004.

This activity focussed additional effort on;-

• Targeting activity towards support for people in receipt of benefits other than ‘Job Seekers Allowance’.

By consolidating services provided by the employability Team and focussing on the use of ‘Action Team for Jobs’ resources CEDA have shifted the balance of support towards non-JSA clients. This has been complemented by the work of the ILM Team with, on average, 85% of clients being from the non-JSA target group.

• Provision of support for vulnerable and ‘hard to reach’ groups.

While continuing with the provision of employability and training support and support for securing places in further education by the ‘Key Workers’ additional support is now being provided in partnership with the City Council. This is delivered through the Equal Access to employment Strategy’ and the ‘Working for Families’ projects, the Department of Work and Pensions through Action Team for Jobs and the latest initiative, ‘Pathways to Work’.

• Provision of sector specific and in work training as a way of assisting people to capitalise on employment and in-work development opportunities.

A range of employer-led programmes with sector specific emphasis in care and construction have been developed and delivered over the course of the year. These programmes have been developed in partnership with private sector care providers locating in the area and Glasgow City Council. This has been complemented with support that allowed employees to gain appropriate qualifications making them, both more employable and effective members of staff.

Further employer led programmes in construction have been delivered in partnership with the Scottish Enterprise and more recently with SEG and the Glasgow Housing Association who have fully utilised their influence with contractors to encourage the provision of training and employment opportunities in the new Skillbuild programme which CEDA is delivering on behalf of the Local Development Companies Network

• Providing support for the community and voluntary sector in their role as contributors to sustainable regeneration.

Working with Castlemilk Community Transport, CEDA has contributed to the improvement of operational efficiency by assisting the organisation to secure resources for the purchase of a fleet of new ‘accessible’ vehicles. This included four mini vans and a car to deliver an out the patient transport contract which was secured from the Health Board.

This intervention also centered on the development of an income generation strategy and included the creation of a ‘web-based’ booking system. The content managed web site, which allows on-line booking is the first example of its kind in the UK. The organisation has employed two additional members of staff and has achieved 80% sufficiency as a direct result of the intervention.

In preparation of the changes likely to emerge through Community Planning it is therefore a priority to increase the ability of voluntary and community organisations to deliver quality public services

• Improve the nature of CEDA’s strategic partnership arrangements and complementary service development with the main sectors engaged in community regeneration.

A range of measures and activities has emerged as a direct result of new and continuing strategic partnership working. This, for example, has been developed through discussions related to the Local Development Company review. It is anticipated that this process will begin to bear fruit in the forthcoming year.
Key partnership working with the City Council has culminated in the employment of staff to drive the Equal Access to Employment Strategy and activity related to the ‘Working for Families’ programme.

CEDA has also actively pursued working partnerships with both Scottish Enterprise and Glasgow Housing Association through the delivery of the ‘Skillbuild’ programme. This is designed to capitalise on construction employment opportunities emerging from the housing stock transfer and beyond in the general construction sector.

CHALLENGES

The Operational Plan draws on previous and current experience to introduce the critical challenges and success factors that will continue to influence the outcome of the plan. However the challenge of effective delivery will also emerge from working within a dynamic environment and our ability to recognise and address the key external drivers of change.

A brief review of these drivers of change would identify key factors as:

• Changes in the Glasgow economy along with economic development policies pursued by organisations such as Scottish Enterprise emphasising sectoral priorities and workforce development and the distribution of resources to meet these priorities.

• Changes in ‘welfare to work’ policy and the delivery infrastructure requirements to meet new priorities. E.g. more emphasis on addressing the ‘Glasgow Challenge’ of economic inactivity, greater emphasis on compulsory programmes and growth of importance in private sector organisations such as Reed in Partnership competing for delivery resources.

• Changes in agencies with resources and responsibility for stimulating regeneration. E.g. reduction in importance of European structural funds, increasing role of Communities Scotland, Community Planning Partnership, GHA as funders and registered social landlords as partners or competitors.

Developing effective strategic relationships and the outcome and effectiveness of the Local Development Company Review will have some bearing on how these challenges are met. Performance in delivering the plan will be a further determinant of our ability to meet these challenges.