Search Results

Benchmarking - or ‘the art of stealing shamelessly’ - is a way of making the most of others’ expertise. By comparing your own processes and practices with another’s, you can identify what should be improved, find ways of making those improvements and then implement them. At LSDA, the Raising Quality and Achievement Programme facilitates and supports this work. This booklet is an introduction to benchmarking in the learning sector. It explains the principles and practices of benchmarking for learning providers, describing the three main benchmarking techniques.

Published summary reproduced by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

The ‘LSC Corporate Plan 2004’ (indexed at TD/TNC 71.535) sets out LSC’s vision of young people and adults in England having knowledge and productive skills matching the best in the world by 2010. This draft strategy, covering three years to 2005, is intended to show how LSC, both locally and nationally, will achieve this. It is a consultative document which outlines the consultation process, sets the context, and describes the structural changes to be achieved. These are: creating a demand-led system; improving supply and capacity; establishing the framework; and measuring progress. Also included is the consultation response form.

The Learning and Skills Development Agency’s (LSDA’s) response to this strategy is indexed at TD/TNC 71.351. Show less

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is leading a project to professionalise equality and diversity practice across all sectors, including public, private, voluntary and education, with funding from the European Social Fund (ESF) EQUAL initiative from October 2005 to December 2007. The project aims to: develop and consult on a set of nationally agreed competences and standards for equality and diversity practitioners; compile a directory of existing equality and diversity training courses, resources and products; examine the fit between nationally agreed competences for equality and diversity and the current range of [equality & diversity] E&D products and services; and research the feasibility, benefits and potential role of a professional association for people working wholly or partly towards equality and diversity. The Learning and Skills Council (LSC), as part of its EQUAL programme, commissioned Focus Consultancy Limited to design and conduct a study to: understand better the nature of the Equality and Diversity (E&D) field in relation to demographics, activities and needs; establish the required scope, function and role of an association; identify the potential benefits and any risks in establishing an association in relation to improving diversity within the UK; and set out a competency framework that will help to ensure high standards of practice amongst E&D practitioners. The report identifies that 80% of practitioners are in favour of such an association and just over 23% of practitioners do not currently receive adequate training to carry out their role. The report gives us a positive platform to move the project forward with our partners to establish an Equality and Diversity Practitioners’ Association (EDPA). Show less

The National Employer Skills Survey (NESS) is the largest of its kind ever commissioned, and aims to investigate the extent, causes and implications of England's recruitment problems and skills gaps, and at the same time measure employers' training activities. The Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) commissioned reports from a number of Sector Skills Councils, and this report summarises the NESS 2003 for the Summitskills Sector Skills Council. This sector covers the building services engineering trade which, for the purposes of this report, have been grouped into the sub-sectors of manufacturing and construction and retail. NESS data shows that over 46,000 of these establishments exist across England, and in total 1,753 interviews were conducted with establishments in this sector. Employers were asked about specific skills they require now and skills they expected to be required in three years time. Communication and customer handling skills are identified as being most important in administrative occupations, while in the case of skilled metal or electrical trades staff, employers highlighted the importance of problem solving and technical and practical skills. The report also considers the extent of recruitment difficulties and skill gaps, and finds that: nine per cent of establishments in the asset skills sector face hard-to-fill vacancies; 21 per cent of establishments suffer from internal skill gaps, with staff being regarded as less than fully proficient; the highest densities of vacancies lie within smaller firms; vacancies and skill gaps are most common amongst skilled trades occupations, with skill gaps especially concentrated upon machine operation staff; the main causes of skill gaps are primarily perceived to be due to staff having a lack of experience; the main causes of hard-to-fill vacancies are a lack of interest in this type of work, a low number of applicants with the required skills, and a lack of the qualifications demanded by the company; and the most common skills lacking in applicants are technical and practical skills, problem solving skills and teamworking skills. Barriers to developing and maintaining a proficient team of staff in the Summitskills sector are identified as including: lack of time for training for those with skill gaps; a lack of cover for training; and a lack of funds for training. The report also considers issues associated with employer engagement in developing their workforce. Show less

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has responsibility for planning and funding work-based learning (WBL) for young people and adults in England, and this document sets out the LSC’s approach to funding WBL in 2007/08. Some sections are also relevant to learning agreements,Young Apprenticeships, and Apprenticeships for Adults. It constitutes an integral part of the LSC’s funding agreement, conditions of funding (grant), conditions of funding (employers) and the financial memorandum with providers for the delivery of WBL in 2007/08. This 2007/08 edition is based on the 2006/07 edition. It has been updated to (1) integrate the 2007/08 changes into the main text (2) notify providers of a limited number of technical changes and points of clarification made for 2007/08 (3) reflect the LSC’s current approach to setting rates for Apprenticeships (4) reflect the ongoing development of WBL programmes. All important policy changes for 2007/08 are identified in paragraphs 19-43.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

An action research project or development project is a short-term, focused piece of development work linked to quality improvement. Projects can be used to design and refine new, often experimental, approaches within an organisation, test out new ways of working, address identified weaknesses, enhance performance and introduce more systematic practice. Such projects also provide the opportunity to develop understanding, among staff, learners and all involved, how quality processes can lead to real improvement. This publication draws on the experience of those involved in managing and working on development projects in the Adult and Community Learning Quality Support Programme (ACLQSP) and on the views of consultants who have supported them. Using case studies of projects undertaken during the three years of the programme, this guide illustrates the benefits which can derive from such small-scale interventions; in particular it shows how an action research approach adds value to quality improvement projects.

Published summary reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

This report documents the conclusions and recommendations of the 'end to end' review of the delivery of Modern Apprenticeships (MAs) in the UK that was undertaken between October and December 2003. The report outlines how the review was conducted and the assessment of the strengths of the current delivery system, barriers to effective delivery, and the likely impact of changes in the pipeline. The review, commissioned by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), examined the delivery chain for MAs and three 'cross cutting' themes: electronic government; equal opportunities; and the burden of bureaucracy. The formal objectives were to: review the effectiveness, flexibility, agility and robustness of processes used to promote and deliver MAs against the policy objectives set by government; make recommendations, as appropriate, for a change program to ensure that delivery processes are well attuned to achieving policy objectives; and report to DfES and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The review process involved extensive analysis of existing documentation, interviews with people engaged in delivering MAs, four local case studies, and discussions about emerging conclusions and recommendations with a wide range of stakeholders. The review identified significant strengths in the delivery system, which provides real benefits to employers and learners, and a strong base on which to build further improvements. It is suggested that action is required on branding, relevance to individual employers and trainees, product development, quality improvement and impact on the economy. The recommendations of the review will inform the 2004 Spending Review. Show less

This research provides a platform for the Learning and Skills Council and its partners to build on, in their planning for the Olympic Games 2012. The study has drawn on the literature review by Experian of the previous four Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney and Athens, and also the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games to provide a broad indication of the employment, skills and training requirements of the 2012 Games. These documents are the final report and annexes into the effects, both positive and negative that the Games may have on the employment and skills resources of the London area, and the UK as a whole.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

The purpose of this offender's learning journey document is to: set out the requirements and expectations that the Offenders' Learning and Skills Unit, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), the Prison Service and the Probation Service (together, in future, the National Offender Management Service, NOMS) have of learning and skills provision for offenders, that is, what the provision will look like; describe the policy environment in which offenders' learning and skills provision is being developed; and describe the role that offenders' learning and skills provision is expected to play in achieving the Government's policy objectives for criminal justice. It describes the components of a high quality learning and skills service at all stages of a learner's journey including during his or her sentence (served in custody or community) and whilst under supervision in the community following release. This new service will be delivered by learning providers who can demonstrate their commitment to the five elements of: meeting needs; improving choice; putting teaching, training and learning at the heart of what we do; developing the leaders, teachers, lecturers, trainers and support staff of the future; and developing a framework for quality and success. We need to see a transformational change in teaching practices that takes account of the individual needs of offenders, and offers a wide range of methods to stimulate and encourage participation.

Excerpt from executive summary reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

The National Employers Skills Survey 2007 (NESS07) provides detailed information on the incidence, extent and nature of skills problems facing employers, in terms of both recruitment and skills gaps within their existing workforce. It explores employers’ activities and expenditure in relation to training. The NESS07 was commissioned by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) along with its partners, the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA). This report presents key findings from NESS07. A more detailed investigation of the data can be found in the full report - National Employers Skills Survey 2007: Main Report [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 95.554]. This key findings report is divided into the following sections: Key Findings; Recruitment and Recruitment Problems; Skills Gap; Recruitment of Young People; Training Activity and Expenditure. Headline findings include: Skills gaps are experienced by a minority of employers (15 per cent), and form a small proportion of the total workforce - 6 per cent of all staff are considered to lack full proficiency; The proportion of employers reporting skills gaps has fallen slightly since 2005, continuing a downward trend seen since a high of 23 per cent in 2001; Over two-thirds of employers provide training for at least some of their staff (67 per cent), continuing a steady increase since training was first measured in 2003 (59 per cent); The proportion of the workforce receiving training has also increased from 61 per cent in 2005 and 2004 to 63 per cent in 2007; The cost to employers of providing training totalled 38.6 billion [British pounds] for the 12 months prior to NESS07, up 16 per cent on 2005 (10 per cent when inflation is taken into account). The largest share of this total is due to the labour costs of those receiving training (47 per cent of the total) and those delivering on-the-job training or organising training (37 per cent). Providing training is estimated to cost an average of 1,725 [British pounds] per employee.

The main report is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 95.554. Show less