Workforce.Training SeNices Ltd Report of the Trustees for the Year Ending 31 March 2023 {Incorporatingthe Chairperson'5 Report) Chairper50n's Report It give5 ffle great pleasure to introduce Workforce Training Services Limited's Annual Report for 2022- 23. The aims Df the charity have not changed since it was first established in 1978. While the political landscape has changed greatly over this time, many of the 50clal and economic problem5 facing our cornmunities remain the same, e.g. access to employment opportunities and good qualityjobs, low academic achievement of a disproportDonate number of school leavers, health related i55ues (especially mental health and wellbeing). However, l am pleased to report Workforce continue5 to meet the skills and employability needs of a wide range of people from the greater Belfast area and beyond, a significant number of whom are disaffetted or marginalised through social or emotional difficulties, poor educational achievement and/or lack of employment. This year, the charity has continued to make strong progress delivering it5 core contracts which include Trdining for Surce5s, Skills for Life & Work. Apprentice5hipsNI, the School P3rtner5hip Programme, Employment Academies and Belfast City Council's Youth Support Programme. There is no doubt that education and training are vital in promotinE the wellbeing of our young people and other service user5. They provide the skills and 5peclalist knowledge needed to secure the good jobs which a Ilow people to participate fully in society- the basic buiSding blocks of a meaningful, productive and healthy lffe. At Workforce, we strive to improve the we15being of our trainee5, apprentices and staff thrDugh our excellent pastoral support. Prornoting people's mental health and emotional wellbeing not only supports educational engagement, but also improves attitude, attendance and outlook and help5 raise attainment. A nurturing learnlng environment is place that is good for our service users, our staff, and the wider Workforce community. Skills and access to talent is one of the single biggest issues impacting our local economy today. In May 2021, the Department for the Economy launched its new economic vision for the next 10 year5, "IOX Economy- an economic vision for a decade of innovation" The concept embraces innovation to deliver a ten times {IOXI better economy with benefits for all the people in Dur community. To achieve thi5 goal, it is critical for our prosperity that we continue to provide our ernployers with highly Skilled trainees and apprentices enabling them to acce55 new ta lent and in so doing. help our young people to develop further. Delivering the IOX economic strategy will require transformation of our skills system. However, in order to irnplement the IQX vision, governTnent mugt ensure that skllls are appropriately funded. Unfortunately, the current economic climate is one of uncert3inty' the potential fvnding cut5 to a range of services Workforce provides is hugely damaging for all ourtrainees and apprentices which will impact negatively on our mostvulnerable young people. The financial uncertainty facing Services as a result of recent cut5 in funding is not helped by the fact that we have no Executive in place. A restored Executive will not 501ve every problem within our Cofnmunities, but withoutthe institutions being up and running. we are at a significant disadvantage in dealing with the many prDblems our sector currently faces.
In spite of the financial uncertainty, the company has delivered strong financial results over the last 12 month5 which has allowed us to refurbish, renew and update our facilities where necessary. It is vital that we continue to provide the most up to date training and learning facilities for our course participants to enable them to achieve their best POS5ible outcomes. Also, we are committed to investing in the development of our people anii the continuous Improvement of the delivery of our programmes arrd services. As a company, we are very proud to have achieved recognised quality marks/standards including the Investors in People Gold accreditation and IS09WI.'2015. 2023 has been a very difficult yearfor the whole Workforce community. In April, our dear frTend and colleague Angle McFall passed away very suddenly at the much too young 3ge of 56. It is fair to say this trasedy shook the entire Workforce family to its core. Angle loved her job working with members of her local community, especially our young people. As the mother ofthree boys herself, she loved to see our young people'5 successes, to see trainees gaining qualifications. securing employment and moving on to the next stage of their live5 and careers. She especially loved to see those of our young learner5 who have had to overcoffle 518nificant barriers succeed. Only wtth the passage of time will the Workforce family get over Angle's passing. May she rest in peace. Despite the ongoing challenges presented to us each year, our management team and entire staff body work tirele551y to improve. not only the skills and employment opportunities of our course participants, but a150 their life prospects and assist thern on a PathWY to positive outcome5. To them, l offer my deepest gratitude and sincere fhanks. I wish to acknowledge the derfication, commitment and support of myfellow board mEmbers who have given freely of theirtime and provided expert knowledge and Experience to ensure the effective running of the charity. In a rapidly changing environment, the need forgaod le3dpr5hip and strong governance is paramount for any charity and ensures Workforce continues to deliver for our service u5er5. Finally, I wou Id like to thank all our delivery partners and funder5 for their onguing 5UPPOrt a nd contributions throughout the year. Chairperson's 51Enature Mrjo eph McAuley Date 'loZS.
Achievements and Perfonnance Over the course of 2022-23, Workforce Training Setvices has delivered its services via programmes contrarted through the Department for the Economy, European Social Fund, Department for Communities through the Labour Market Partnership {LMPI initiative and the Department or Education. This year has been anothervery successFul year for the company. Skills for Llfe and Work & Trainlng For Succe55 Workforce is currently cOntcted by the Department for the Economy to provide pmfessiona l and technical training and education underthe SkillsforLife &Work and TrainingforSucce55 programme5. Skills for kn'fe ad Work is designed for young people aged 16 - 17, with extended age eligibility for those with a disability UP to age 22 and up to age 24 for those from an in-care background. These programmes are designed for young people who want to develop their ski115 and Eet ready forwork. The company typically engage5 Wlth over 300 learners on its Training for Success and Skills for Life & Work prograrnmes at any one time, making it one of the biggest providers in N. Ireland. In 2022-23, 169 young people 1118 male and 51 female) were recruited from 30 different 5chools/educational establishments to the Skills for Life & Work programme. Some ofthe other achievements and outcDmes from these programmes in the last 12 month5 indude: 97 young people gained employment and progressed on to the ApprenticeshipsNI programme. 397 E55ential 5ki11s qualifications in literacy, numeracy and Icr were achieved,. 323 personal development and employability qualifications were achieved,. and 1301 hours of one-to-one mentoring support sessions were delivered to participant5 on these programmes. ApprenticeshipsNI Apprentice5hipsNI aims to provide participants with the opportunity to take part in a Level 2/Level 3 Apprenticeship where the apprentice, in paid employmentfrom day one, works towards achievinE an industry-approved Level 2/Level 3 Apprenticeship Framework. In 2022-23, we had 150 apprentices on the ApprenticeshipNI strand, of which 80% progressed from our own 5kllls For Life & Work provision. In recent years we have strived to increase the supply of apprenticeships and help our young people, a slgnificant number of whom corne from the m05t disadvantaged backgrounds, access the ApprenticeshipNI pathwav. Apprenticeship achievement and retention rates are excellent which is testament to the highest quality training and pastoral support provided by ourstaff. At Workforce, effective employerengagement is integral to our success in finding quality employment opportunities for our participants. We work closely with employers to ensure our delivery rneets the needs of the employer, the business, and the apprentice. Overthe la5tyear, we have worked wl£h and 5UPPOrted 224 employers, helping them to provide work placements and employment for our young people.
European Social Fund Workforce successfully delivered two projects under Call 3 of the Nl European social Fund (ESF). Programme 2014-2020 which rdn from l April 2022 to 31 March 2023. The Path 2 Employment projett provided employment opportunities for those groups at a disadvantage in the labour market who were unemployed, including the long term unemployed, or econom ically inartive. We are pleBsed to report under Call 3 of E5F, all targets were surpassed, In all, 144 participants were recruited on to the project against a tsrget of 140, of these 60 participants progressed into employment against a tsrget of 35 and 72 participants progressed into education and/or training against a target of 12. The Get Connected project, which 5UPPOrted young people aged 1&24 who were not in employment, education or training recruited 121 participants on to the project in the last 12 month5 agalnst a ta rget of 120, with 91 pèrucipants progressing into further education and training. A further 21 partieipant5 progressed into employment upon leaving the prograrnme, As with the Path 2 Employment project, all tar8ets were surpassed. In December 2022, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) opened the long-awaited UK Shared Prosperity Fund Northern Ireland programme for applications. Thi5 fund, designed as a sucre5sor to EU structural fund5 P05t-Brexlt and, under the programme's 'People and Ski115' priority, is aimed at tackling economlc inactivity. Unfortunately, WorkfDrce, like a number of other organi5ations in the community and voluntary sector, was notified on 31 March 2023 that it had been unsuccessful with the two project applicatlons it made to the fund. We were especially disappointed in the lack of clarity from the U K Government on how 5ucEe55ful project5 were selected. Thi5 is likely to result in a considerable drop in the compan15 income for the year ahead and we will be faced with making difficult decisions to account for this. It is totally unacceptable it took the UK Government so long to confirm the outcome of the Shared Prosperity Fund application process. Given the outcome was only made known on 31 March 2023. the day ESF funding wa5 due to expire, it would have placed u5 in a very difficult sitU3tion, especially in relation to workforce planning. As an organisation, we tookthe decision in January 2023, whatover the Dutcome of the shared Prosperity Fund application process, to extend all ESF staff contracts until 31 March 2024, We were keen to provide our ESF staff with some stability and job security and prevent the prospett of very experlenced Staff leaving the organi5ation. The funding and delivery of public service5 in our communities Is at breaking point. There is increasing pressure on salzry costs, fuel and energy Costs, insurance costs, rent etc. Despite all these costs increasing, funding is not increasing at anything like the same rate which makes it a very tight operating environment for community groups such as ours. Also, the uncertainty around future fundlng is not a good way to deliver our 5eNices. It makes it very dtfficult to be strategic to allocate resources. to facilitate workforce planning, especially without core long-term funding, and minimum three-year contracts for service deltvery. As a sector, we need the decision m3ker5 to do more to secure our position and stop these continuous funding cycle competitions.
Employment Academles 2022-23 The Labour Market Partnership {LMPI is a province-wide approach developed by the Department of Communities and aims to address issues with Job5 and tralning by combining resource5 and deliverlng a collaborative and flexible approach to ernployabillty SUPPOrt in each council area. The LMP focu5es on improving labour ma rket conditions and addressing issues with employer5, training provider5, as well as comrnunity and voluntary organi5ations. Through this inltiative, Warkforce hBs developed a strong strategic relationship with five local councils including Belftst City Council, Mid & East Antrim Borough Council, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, Lisbum and Castlereagh City Council, and Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council. The organisation deliver5 a range of skills and ernployability programmes whirh include the Customer Service Sector (H05Pttalty, Leisu & Retail) Academy and the Prattical Sector (Transport, Construction, fjreen Economy & Manufacturing) Academy. These contracts are for a foLkr-year period. This year alone we have worked with 454 participants, mainly adults, on the Councils, Employment Academies which breaks down as follows: Transport Academy HGV Bu5 Advanced Driving Instructor No. of participants 214 57 Other Academies Construction Plant Construrtion Leisure H05Pltality Comrhunity Warehousing No. of particlp3ntS iio 13 23 12 Further academle5 are planned in the coming year for each council area in a range of sector5. Youth Support Programme Workforce is also currently delivering Belfast City Councll's Youth Support Programme (ages 14-241. The Youth Support Programme offer5 SUPPOrt to get l&F24 year olds living in the Belfast City Council area into training and employment. Pzrticipantstake part in a range of training and education session5 including vocational skills sampling, mentoring, Hi 5 workshop5 which focus on health and wellbeing, goal 5ettin8, and a range of other aC¢ivities that help to prepare the young people for the next Steps ift their career journey. This 15 thefinalyearofthe programme which ha5 been runningfor4 years.This year, 160young people have been supported to a positive Dutcome through their participation on the Youth Support Programme: 105 ofthe5e participants entered training on completion Df the programTne and a further 30 joined the Apprentlce5hip pro8ramme. 5choDI Partnership Programme Workforce has a well-embedded school and education other than at school {EOTAS1 provision which works with 150 pupils, from four different educational establishments, on the school links programme
each year. This programme provides vocational skills training to Year 11 and Year 12 pupils who have the opportunity to achieve CEA'S Occupational Studies qualification which has GC5E Erade equivalency. As a resulL many ofthe students, prDgressto relevanttraining progt7mmes in Workforce when they leave school. Plans for the Future The trustees continue to monitor and review the performance of the charity. Given the current financial uncertainty and loss of E5F funding, the next twelve morTths will be a time to consolidate occupancy levels in our existing Skills for Life & Work and Apprenticesh ipNI provision. We also consider this an ideal time to secure alternative sources of funding for new projects and programmes to ensure the financial viability of the orEanisation going forward. The annual report was approved by the trustees of the charity on 15 November 2023 and signed on t5 behalf by: Paul Boyle (Secretary)
WORKFORCE TRAINING SERVICES LtTrllTED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2023 STATE,TrtKNr OF DIRECTORS RESPONSIBILITIES The directors are responsible for preparing the Directors, Report and the fmancial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations. Company Law requires the directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year. The Trustees, who are also directors for the pury)oses of company law, present their report and the financial ststernents of the charity for the year ended 31 st March 2023. The Trustees confinn that they comply with the requirements of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Ststement of Recommended Practice which applies to charities preparino their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ir¢land (FRS 102) (effective l January 2015). Under company law the directors must not approve the fancIal statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company and of the surplu5 or deficit of the company for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the directors are required to: select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently. make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent. prepare the financial statements OD the goino concern basis unles5 It is inappropriate to presume that the company will continue in business. The directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the company'5 transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companles Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other iegular1ttes. In so far as the directors are aware: there is no relevant audit infonnation of which the ujrnpany's auditor is unaware. and - the directors have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit infonnation and to establish that the auditor is aware of that information. order of the board: -[ Jo MCAULE CTOR JULIE MAGUIRE DIRECTOR DATE 8th Decernber 2023 DATE 8th December 2023 Page 7