training delivery models linda miller senior research fellow institute for employment studies
TRANSCRIPT
Changes to delivery models
Review of policy backgroundOverview of national
developmentsIES evaluation and emerging
findings
Policy background
In demand: Adult skills for the 21st century (Cabinet Office)
21st Century skills: realising our potential (White paper on national skills strategy)
‘In Demand’
‘A relatively high proportion of UK working population…lacks basic and intermediate skills’
‘A particular problem is the large number of low-skilled adults in the workforce’
‘Tackling basic skills must be the top priority’
‘In Demand’ conclusions
Change must focus on raising demand for WFD from both employers and individuals
Action plan included breaking down barriers to participation, reform of funding, building capacity and reform of qualifications
Introduction of the ETPs
Employer Training Pilots (ETPs) Announced in April 2002 budget; 6
pilots commenced September 2002; extended in 2003 with further 6; extended again in April 2004 budget
Aim ‘to increase demand for training by reducing barriers which prevent people - particularly those with lower skills - from training’
Employer Training Pilots
To explore impact on demand for training up to L2 of providing a package of support that includes: free training programmes support for employers to meet costs of
giving staff paid time off to train brokerage of training and ensuring
training provided in way that suits needs
IAG (and now includes initial ITN)
Employer Training Pilots
Now in second yearPilot design: offer varies by area to
determine impact of number of hours training funded (2
levels) level of wage compensation (3 levels)
Outcomes measured include uptake, completions, qualifications employer and employee perceptions
The ETP training process
Training is workplace oriented
Takes around 100 hours to complete (over 7 to 8 months)
Learners spend about half the time in contact with trainers (on assessment, training and portfolio building)
IES evaluation of ETPs
Over 9,000 employers and 50,000 learners involved
Take-up faster than in the first yearOriginal pilots still recruiting stronglyParticipant profile largely unchangedContinued need to focus on hard to
reach
5,000 learners now at level 242 per cent of early starters have
completed
Low drop-out, high satisfaction
some learners say they learn little new, but do tend to gain both UK and confidence in their ability; and
most want to do further training - mainly at level 3
‘Assess Train Assess’ in ETPs
Emerging feature of around 50% of ETPs is use of ‘ATA’ approach
initial assessment, identify skills gaps, deliver appropriate training, re-assess
21st Century Skills
‘skills gaps remain stubbornly persistent’
‘market failures inhibit take up of training by those with few or no qualifications’
‘We are learning important lessons from the [ETPs] about the key factors motivating employers and learners’
Second major national initiative
LSC Sector Skill Pilots Second major initiative aimed at
addressing: specific learning and skills gaps failure to reach certain groups; and testing range of delivery and funding
models
Sector skill pilot coverage
Range of pilots (28 at present, more in development) include cleaning, care, school support, ITQ
Pilots test various models for developing skills in sectors
Around 30,000 learners 2003-2004
Over 4500 employers involved
Interim SSP findings
Findings vary with nature of sector pilots, but across sectors, findings are:
high achievement rates (anecdotal)
some difficulty in engaging employers
importance of ‘up-front learner assessment to determine learning needs in general and basic skill needs in particular’
The emergence of assess-train-assess21st Century skills:
‘Training programmes, particularly those provided for employers, should start by assessing people’s existing knowledge and skills, so that skills gaps can be identified and training targeted at filling those gaps’
ETP ‘embodies best practice...in training to the gaps using ATA’
SSP outcomes emphasise this also
The ATA project
DfES-funded project to look at good practice in assess-train-assess models of staff development identify good practice and draw out
guidance identify staff development & other
issuesIES with Nick Stratton (FERA)December 03 - August 04
ATA project method
Trawl for potential ATA contacts via FERA, AOC, TUC, CBI, LLSCs, RDAs, ALI, LSDA, SSCs……
Phone contact and interviewSet of questions to determine
what organisations are doing Case study visits to range of
organisations
ATA project progress
What have we found? Trawl generated ~ 80 potential
examples More than 40 contacted Identified range of practice in
colleges, private training providers & employers
Around quarter way through visits (plan on 24 - 30 case studies)
Findings?
ATA most frequently encountered in context of NVQs
COVEs and Business Development Units
Variations in practice at A, at T and at A!
Emerging findings
Initial assessment sensitivity/clients inappropriate with ‘menu/volunteerism’ can be unwieldy to offer full APL system,
hence little accreditation of ‘experience’
Training easiest to modify when working 1:1 or bespoke training (>6), but computers help