Essential Skills

Operational Guidelines

3rd / 4th September 2009

Operational Guidelines

New Operational Guidelines for FE Colleges Issued 5th May 2009.

Circular Number FE 06/09 – Operational Guidelines for Essential Skills in Application of Number, Communication and ICT 2009/10.

New Training for Success Operational Guidelines (Version 3) Issued 18 August 2009.

New Apprenticeship NI Operational Guidelines (Version 6) Issued 18 August 2009

Essential Skills Provision

Recommended Delivery

Minimum Teaching Hours – 40 per Essential Skill – flexibility if tutor confident post assessment of learner’s ability.

Mode of Delivery – teach to the learners’ needs and organisational efficiency - ‘long and thin’ not the sole means of delivery.

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Initial Assessment

All Learners Should Undergo Rigorous Initial Assessment.

Training Providers Need to Make More Use of the Essential Skills Good Practice Guidelines.

Retain Evidence to Support the Quality of the Teaching. 

Success Rate Should Reach 90% for Those Availing of Less Than 40 Hours.

Initial Assessment Indicates Achievement of Essential Skill Qualification in Less Than 40 Hours Endorse Initial Assessment and Confirm Hours of

Learning Required.

Retain Evidence to Support the Quality of Teaching and Learning for Future Inspection.

Ensure that Essential Skills Achievements for Those Learners Accessing Provision of Less Than 40 Hours Reach at Least 90% Success Rate.

Stretch Ethos

Learners Assessed at a Specific Level are Required to Achieve the Next Higher Level

Two Exceptions -:

(1) Learners Within Custodial Settings.

(2) Learners Enrolled Through Learner Access & Engagement Pilot Arrangements.

Flexibility

Teach to the Learner’s Needs – Fewer or Greater.

Delivery Patterns That are Mutually Acceptable.

ICT Students are NOT Required to Have or be Working at Level 1 in Numeracy / Literacy.

The Need to Integrate and Embed Essential Skills Across all Professional and Technical Areas Including Cross Curricula Delivery.

ECDL ( FE Sector)

From 1 August 2009 Department will no longer Fund ECDL Courses From the Recurrent Allocation.

Will Continue to Fund Any Learner Who Did Not Complete ECDL Course in the Last Academic Year.

Can Continue to Offer ECDL on a Full Cost Recovery Basis.