Flexible Training Solutions Key issues and recommendations.
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Transcript of Flexible Training Solutions Key issues and recommendations.
Flexible Training Solutions
Key issues and recommendations
Learning theme focus
• Joint project with FSO1 and 3. First phase in a research programme
• Understand barriers to delivering flexible training and identify solutions.
• Acknowledge but not dwell on well rehearsed systemic problems of funding and qualifications.
• Focus on what is working and why.
Learning theme process
• Discussions with Steering Group on focus
• Literature review
• Facilitated online discussion
• Interviews and case studies
• Workshop
• Final report and recommendations
• Definition of Phase 2 research project
Recommendations
• Funding
• Marketing
• Partnerships/brokerage
• Skills and competencies
• Provision
Maximise flexible funding sources
• Maximise use of ESF and non college based funding to support flexible provision
• Build capacity of colleges to access and use funds flexibly
• Government agencies encouraged to use flexible funding streams to support innovative flexible provision
Review and simplify funding systems
• Reduce and manage bureaucracy
• Longer time horizons
• Funding linked to softer outcomes and those activities more relevant to flexible provision
• Better understanding of real cost and impact of courses
Funding to recognise the costs of relationship building
• Relationship building with employers and important first step
• Relationships need o be maintained
• Activities have a cost but not recognised in funding regimes
• Cost of contact, assessment need to be included
Level playing field for private providers
• Aspects of GTA funding models are useful
• Find ways of putting purchasing power in the hands of employers
• Some useful lessons from ILAs
Improve market intelligence
• Providers (particularly colleges) recognised need to improve market intelligence.
• Improve access to employers not currently served
• Need up to date business register and business analysis
Review effectiveness of links with employers
• Providers need to review organisation of their business links - are dedicated business units necessarily the right approach?
• How well are services integrated across the provider organisations?
• Better knowledge of business cycle and needs
• Use of honest brokers and relationship building
Improve marketing techniques
• Build on good practice in the private sector.
• More proactive development work with clients
• Investment in client focused systems
• Outsourcing marketing to other agencies - Business Links?
• Improve capacity within colleges
Improve partnership arrangements
• Establish partnerships between public and private sector providers
• Enhance signposting services
• Build on best practice
• GTA models are useful
• Use partnerships to promote flexible funding
Develop and support brokerage services
• Brokerage services appear to be a successful models which could be further replicated.
• Help to share the “contact” process with employers.
• Better clarity of role of such services and signposting of services.
Support and encourage business networking
• Use existing networks to promote learning services
• Build on emerging SSC network
• Encourage consortia of small business to support economies of scale and provide focus for training need
Share best practice
• Raise awareness of regional and local best practice between training providers and projects.
• Updated and searchable database of providers and projects including areas of expertise.
Skills of staff
• Improve tutor training and CPD to equip to work with employers
• More use of secondments
• Corp of part time tutors with business/industry links
• Support training of workplace tutors
Provision
• Modular provision with improved cross matching of units across awarding bodies
• Complementary progression routes across providers
• Rurality
• Niche market needs
• Use of college certificates in place of quals