Christmas 2013 Newsletter

Inside this issue:

Quality

Matters

Developing

Strategies for 2014

Contract

Performance

Curriculum

Development

ASPIRING

LEADERS

UPDATE

Who would have

thought ESTYN would

again appear on our

doorstep in 2013!

North Wales Training

must be the most

inspected provider in

Wales.

Our inspection record began in March 2000, with a re

inspection in June 2002. Estyn again paid us a visit in

November 2006, followed four years later in November

2010. Hopefully the inspection in 2013 will be the last

one until at least 2018 but I know you all think they will

be back next year!

There have been three models for Estyn Inspections

since 1999 and we have been inspected against all three

models, twice against the current common inspection

framework with this present cycle only commencing in

2010! To say that we are well practiced for Estyn

inspections is an understatement!

I thank each and every one of you for the part you played

in making the latest one so successful

The Estyn report for the consortium will be published on

February 2014 until then we must contain ourselves and

keep the provisional judgments confidential.

Before we close for Christmas holidays I am hoping to

conclude our 2013/2014 Self Assessment Report and

Quality Development Plan. The recent inspection has

enabled me to assess our performance for 2012/2013 in

great detail and I have created a virtual Quality

Development Plan (virtual meaning in my head)

The challenge now is to get it all down on paper for you

to take home and study when you have a spare moment

over the Christmas break!

Aspiring Leaders Programme I am pleased to report that Julie Evans

has achieved her Level 7 Diploma in

Leadership and Management.

Lisa Newall, Sarah

Jones and Roger

Pendleton have also achieved their

Level 5 Diplomas in Leadership and

Management and Jane Jones has

completed her Level 5 Award in

Coaching and Mentoring. Mark Davies

Work Programme Coordinator has

achieved is Level 5 Diploma in

Leadership and Management too.

The Senior Management Team are close to completing

Level 7 Award in Coaching and Mentoring with Deb

Mitchell and Martin Craven to complete their Level 7

Diplomas before Christmas.

Well done to one and all!

The second year of the Aspiring Leaders programme

commenced in November 2013 and there are a variety of

projects the group and the Team Leaders will be focusing

on in 2014 to make us more cost effective in our

programme delivery and in use of Information Learning

Technology.

Managers, Team Leaders and staff are tasked with

undertaking an ICT initial assessment by January and

all of us will be trained to a minimum of Level 2

Essential Skills Wales by the target date of September

2014.

This will help where appropriate to raise the IT skill

across the company and in part ensure the projects the

Aspiring Leaders and Team Leaders are undertaking

succeed.

Project updates will be recorded in the Team Leader

Meeting Minutes and can be accessed on SharePoint.

Quality Matters

“I am looking forward to an Estyn free 2014

and thank you all for the work you have done

this year and for the high standard of work

you will continue to do throughout 2014”

Sue S

Developing Strategies for 2014 and

the next 4 years

National Aim: ‘The Education and Skills portfolio aims to raise the standards of education and

training provision, so that everyone can reach their potential; deliver a skilled workforce with high quality

opportunities; provide support to individuals, families and communities to improve wellbeing and to see the

Welsh language thrive in Wales’

Introduction

Delivering national and local priorities in the face of reducing budgets requires a whole new approach in cross company working to secure the successful delivery of all our outcomes. Below is an overview of the

allocation of funding for education and skills throughout Wales. All references contained within this article are the drivers of our organisation’s business strategies.

Cross Cutting Key Themes.

Growth and Jobs – supporting growth and creating jobs to support the economy and to tackle poverty

Educational Attainment – deliver world class education

Supporting Children, Families and Deprived

Communities – support routes out of poverty and

give access to learning

The Cash – How Much?

Q. – How much money is allocated by Welsh Government

for Education and Skills?

A. - £1,773,000.00 (Draft Budget October 2013)

The strategic priorities informing allocations of

the national budget are:

Training Standards £1,167,519 m - Read: Best in Class

Skilled Workforce £69,043 m - Read: Skilful and talented

Improving wellbeing £354,837 m -Read: Health, wealth and

happiness

Welsh Language £ 24,376 m - Read: Siarad Cymraeg?

Delivery Support £ 3,149 m - Read: Technology,

coaching mentoring

(Including £10.4m for 14-19 provision)

Of interest to us? – Yes –

the provision to be procured

must reflect the ability of the organisation to deliver the 5

priorities listed. The criteria will include not only can you

deliver but how do you deliver and in what time – this is

known as value for money.

What are the programme areas of investment?

Jobs Growth Wales £12.5 m (strong track record 76%

nationally sustaining employment or progressing into an

apprenticeship). Programme extended to 2015-16. Read: We

are good at this how can we be even better?

Delivery of high quality apprenticeships. The budget

for work based learning programmes set at £119.3m 2014-2015

and £121.3m for 2015-16. All programmes to be reviewed to

ensure that provision will have the most impact on growth

and jobs. Read: We need to be progressive, efficient, modern, fresh and

sharp. Tender commencing FEB 2014

Welsh Language. An investment of £19.8m in 2014-15 and

£24m in 2015-16 in training programmes with the aim of

improving Welsh skills for employment. Read: The more Welsh

language provision we offer the more money we can earn.

Engagement and Progression Framework -allocation

unclear, save we know that £10.4m will be through Networks

– could be a change of focus for Network funding but only

that which is not ring-fenced. Main programmes for

delivering this important framework, are Apprenticeships,

Jobs Growth Wales and Traineeships. Read: Play nicely,

communicate, collaborate and work together for the benefit of the learner.

An Investment of £19.8m in 2014-15 and £24m in 2015 -16 for

supporting progression and adaptability within the

workforce. You will only access this cash if we have a

modern leading edge, imaginative and topical course portfolio

to offer.

Other key drivers that will directly or

indirectly influence our planning and

delivery.

Welsh Baccalaureate – to be at the ‘heart of

qualifications for 14.-19 years old – to include

development of 21st century employability skills

and attributes’. Keep abreast of developments in

this field and develop provision for 14-19 to take full

account of the provision within schools.

Literacy and Numeracy to be central to the new

qualifications system. We will have a literate and

numerate country.

Using Digital Technology. Having the right skills

available is crucial, if businesses are to pursue

ambitious strategies.

What conditions come with the cash?

The Transformation policy: This policy requires all

Learning Providers to support the policy by

planning and implementing change to secure

significant improvements to learning delivery to

result in significant benefits for learners with a firm

focus on improved skill levels for all young people

and adults,

Q. What are we doing?

A. We have been working on a change culture for

over 2 years, driving out inefficiencies, increasing

productivity, investing in technology and staff

development. Our policy will continue to gather

momentum and by adopting new ways of working

we aim to stimulate more effective employee

involvement and commitment in order to achieve

high levels of performance.

The next six months should see considerable

changes within our working practices; we have

introduced new projects with clear goals.

Contract Performance

The budget performance table for year ending July 2013 shows

under and over performance against budget in our main income

lines.

Overall total actual income was 99.45% of budget.

Budget 2012/2013

Actual 2012/2013

Apprenticeships £1,441,796 £1,420,715

Steps to Employment £511,250 £380,271

Essential Skills in the Workplace

£99,270 £84,510

14-19 £97,750 £92,456

Potensial £94,862 £166,156

Jobs Growth Wales £35,099 £45,194

Commercial £59,910 £91,090

Work Programme £145,890 £190,395

Performance in Work Programme and Potensial saw both areas

exceed budget.

We had an excellent year for commercial income greatly supported

by New Work Connections courses delivered by the Youth

Engagement Team in Construction, in addition to bespoke Retail and

Hospitality courses delivered by the Administration and Hospitality

Teams.

Well done to all concerned!

Disappointingly, the Apprenticeship contract underperformed which

was entirely due to starts not being recruited in line with the profile.

Although we exceeded the apprentice start target it was too late to

make a significant impact on the finance.

Consortium Contract Performance 12/13

Apprentice Steps

NWT 99% 74%

Gwrp LLan Menai 100% 53%

ADT 102% N/A

Overall 102% 64%

2013-14

This contract year has seen an overall contract decrease due to the

Welsh Government ceasing to funded Apprenticeships for over 25

year olds in the non priority areas and the introduction of the new

Work Ready Programme for unemployed Adults.

We face a challenging year with the Work Based Learning contract

as we work towards creating the training Job Centre Plus want under

the Work Ready Programme whilst continuing to proactively develop

and deliver Higher Apprenticeships at Level 4 and 5.

Additionally , the Welsh Government expects 60% of our

Apprenticeship starts to be under the age of 25 so I would ask you all

to be mindful of the contractual priorities we are working towards.

Priorities for next six months Welsh Government Contract Priorities

Target 45% of starts to be aged 18-24

Increase numbers of Modern and Higher Apprentice starts

To maximize the number of jobs created under the Jobs Growth Wales Programme.

Essential Skills in the Workplace Contract Priorities

Ensure that the contract target of starts is met across all teams.

All Teams must identify potential Essential Skills in the Workplace learners

Work Programme Contract Priorities

Increase the number of jobs for those with health issues.

North Wales Training is an approved Provider to offer the Jobs

Growth initiative to employers. In the last contract year Jobs

Growth Wales introduced us to over 54 new employers in the

area who we have never worked with before.

Many of these employers have recruited Apprentices with us

or attended commercial courses.

JobFit Provider League Table

Success measured on Job Outcome Rate

Provider Job Entry Rate

Job Outcome Rate

NWT 63.3% 62.2%

Interserve 78.4% 45.9%

Futureworks 48.5% 44.5%

A4E North 52.2% 38.7%

A4E South 67.1% 38.4%

Antur Teifi 58.8% 37.7%

Ceredigion Training 40.4% 35.6%

Our current Work Based Learning contract which was from August

2011 to July 2014 has been extended to March 2015.

We have started the tender process for the Work Based Learning

contracts which will commence in April 2015. The timeline is as

follows:

The consortium has submitted a Pre Qualification

Questionnaire. (PQQ)

Evaluation of PQQs will take place Nov -Dec 2013

Providers will receive feedback January 2014

In February 2014 the Welsh Government will Publish Invitation

to Tender (ITT) –for providers successful in the PQQ process

Tender submission March 2014

Successful tenderers notified in September 2014

Curriculum Development

We currently have a total of 566 apprentices in learning:

We work with

Sector Skills Councils 9 Awarding Organisations 8

We are delivering

Frameworks 56 Qualifications 81

And include:

ESDGC Wellbeing Literacy

Numeracy Safeguarding

Bi-lingualism ERR ESW Wider Key Skills

We have 186 14-19 learners, (including commercially funded),

and are also delivering programmes under ESiW, Work

Ready, Job Growth Wales and the Work Programme, along

with a range of bespoke short courses and our commercial

portfolio

Moving Forward

Key focus points moving forward, include, increasing

numbers of Higher Apprenticeships across routes, and

identifying emerging sectors.

Positively embracing the use of ILT within all our delivery and

compliance activities, and the sharing of best practice and

resources both internally and externally.

Where are we going?

In 2014 and moving forwards we are continuing to face a

range of curriculum- related challenges with the only constant

being more change………

The wheel below identifies some of the main areas we need to

focus on, to ensure we stay ahead of the game

Some of the changes/challenges will be imposed of us, as a

result of external reviews and changes to policies, but many

others, such as the continuing changes within QCF and the

introduction of the new ESW (Autumn 2014) will need an

effective approach that can be developed and implemented

from within.

Working cross company and using the strength and skills

within the company as a whole, will enable us to effect

efficient, innovative and cost effective solutions for our

learners and stakeholders.

The introduction of an ‘Innovation Group’, with members

drawn from across the company, will provide a platform for

development, design and delivery of sustainable and

transferrable solutions, that will support a more efficient and

focussed curriculum across all our delivery sectors.

This can only be done if everyone engages with the processes

and embraces the changes in a positive way, in order to

benefit all.

I would like to thank you all for your

contributions this year, and wish you all a very

Merry Christmas and look forward to a positive

and productive New Year.

Allison Jones

Motor Vehicle, 85

Manufacturing, 34

Engineering, 26

Care/Childcare, 256

Admin 195

Hospiltality, 46

STEM

QCF

LAP

Apprenticeships

Higher

Apprenticeships

ESW

Key Skills SSC’s

14-19

Qualifications

Review

Apprenticeship

Review

SASW

Digital

Literacy

WBQ

Wheel

Of

Change

Message from the

Chief Executive

You can see from the

Newsletter that the

Company has faced

some real highs and

lows during the year.

We have performed

extremely well in

some areas whereas

in others we have

struggled, partly due

to the constraints of the Welsh Government

contract.

We recently celebrated the outcome of the

Consortium Estyn Inspection which reaffirmed our

2010 inspection of solid “good” grades and provided

further confirmation that we are an organisation

who continues to offer training to a high standard.

However we cannot rest on our laurels as Welsh

Government and Estyn are committed to increasing

levels of achievement and standards of delivery year

on year.

On a more sombre note we have also suffered

reductions to our overall WBL contract income for

2013/2014 with the withdrawal of funding for non

priority apprenticeships over the age of 25 and also

the demise of the Steps to Employment contract

which has been replaced in the short term by a

reduced provision through the Work Ready

Programme. These two events have sadly led to

some severe economies having to be made which

have resulted in the loss of some very valued

members of staff and colleagues.

Having been in business for over 30 years now,

North Wales Training is not unused to the roller

coaster ride which is the Welsh Government. Our

ability to survive over all these years can be

attributed to our resourcefulness and flexibility in

being able to respond quickly to the ever changing

requirements of the Welsh Government.

In addition, in the past year, our income from non-

WBL sources has increased from 26% to 29% and is

forecast to continue this upward trend in the

coming year, due in the main to our success in the

14-19 Sector and the consistently strong

performance of the Work Programme where we

remain top of the leader board for Wales.

For 2013/2014 we face a challenging year as you can

see, however we know what we must do, and if we

all pull together we can achieve the quality

standards demanded of us and also achieve the

income requirements necessary to support our

continued viability. We must work smarter, not

harder, and we must embrace all the advantages

that technology can bring to the company.

2014 will see us entering into a new tendering

round with our Consortium partners for the next

WBL Contact which will commence in April 2015

and which we are hopeful will bring the

opportunity for further growth and expansion.

As we head towards the end of 2013 and the

Christmas break I would like to wish you all a very

Merry Christmas and look forward to us all

returning in the New Year charged with

enthusiasm to face the challenges of maintaining

and improving the quality of all that we do.

Together, working as one team, I know we can be

the best!

Happy Christmas.

Sue Denton

Printed by the dashing men of the reprographics department Have a great holiday!