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