Investigating the Implementation of an Academic Staff Skills Audit Suzanne Murray Investigating the Implementation of an Academic Staff Skills Audit

Aim, Scope & Objectives Aim To review the current skills & qualification levels of Academic staff to identify any skills gaps that exist to enable a more targeted analysis of staff development needs & understand the complete potential of the College. Scope To investigate the current skill & qualification levels of Academic staff within SERC & align appropriate development plans to meet organisational objectives. Objectives To complete a survey of all Academic staff to identify level of qualifications held by 23rd December 2014 To identify the learning needs preferences of all Academic staff by 23rd December 2014 To conduct a training needs analysis for those staff who have identified gaps in their development

Justification Snapshot of College’s skills base – allows identification of specific training needs & prioritisation of training Aligns with SERC’s strategic goal for quality Aligns with HR Mission More holistic and consistent approach to ensure more efficient & effective staff development More proactive rather than reactive approach to needs identification QAA Quality Standards for Higher Education 2013/14 Staff Satisfaction Survey results SERC’s strategic goal for quality – “promoting a culture of excellence through raising standards and continuous improvement, excellence in teaching and the learning environment and thereby enhance our reputation with our students, businesses and communities.” HR Mission – “to develop an inspired, innovative & inclusive workforce, with the capability & capacity to deliver best practice on a global platform within a stimulating & supportive culture.” Holistic and consistent approach to SD Instead of being reactive and responding to competence problems that arise by sending an individual on training, proactive use of skills audits to plan and implement training needs allows for achievement of College strategic goals. Info gathered in audit can be used by Head of Quality for reporting on QAA quality standards for HE which requires everyone teaching on HE to have right level of qualifications to teach on it Staff survey results – 5% increase in those saying they received adequate training but also 5% decrease in those saying the College is committed to developing staff. The Skills Audit will allow a targeted individual approach to each staff member’s development which should address this issue.

Research Methods Quantitative research: 2009 Skills Audit Results UK Commissioner’s Employer Skills Survey 2013 Results Qualitative research: Interviews (internal and external) Historical data from 2009 skills audit identified what the skills levels were in 2009 to enable benchmarking with 2014 results. The results of the UK commissioner’s employer skills survey 2013 were used to identify the wider skills picture within the UK. In-depth interviews were conducted to gather a significant amount of detail on opinions and views around skills audits and staff development.

GIS Map GIS mapping was used to show the breakdown of results from the 2009 skills audit. 22% staff who responded work across more than 1 campus Largest no for responses from Lisburn & Bangor 57% respondents full time Majority have teaching qualification, numeracy & literacy and other relevant qualification Almost ½ have assessor award ¾ have degree Less than ½ have post grad

Findings 2009 Skills Audit Critical staff development priority – ILT Significant investment made in ILT Expect 2014 Skills Audit to show significant improvements in ILT competence levels 2009 results will be benchmarked with 2014 results Outcome of audit will be 3 tiered The critical staff development priority coming from the 2009 skills audit was ILT. College made significant investment in staff development on ILT by implementing an Integrated Learning & Teaching & Pedagogy Programme supported by 9 school-based mentors. This programme was identified as an example of good practice in the Integrated Quality & Enhancement Review, NI Summative Review by the QAA for HE in March 2013. Can benchmark 2009 audit results with 2014 audit to show how far the College has travelled in the intervening years. The 2014 skills audit would be expected to show significant improvements in ILT competence levels. Outcome of audit will be 3 tiered. It will provide a global picture of the universal needs of the College and will also identify areas for development within schools and for individuals.

Findings Results can be used for reporting on QAA UK Quality Code for Higher Education Sets out expectations providers of UK Higher Education are required to meet Evidence to show everyone teaching on HE have required level of qualifications To date has been difficult to report on quality indicators annually DEL refresh of FE means business DEL refresh of FE means business not yet complete but there is likely to be a focus on continuing to develop a professional workforce to ensure that staff enhance their own skills & are equipped to deliver a 1st class service to students & employers.

Findings UK Commissioner’s Employer Skills Survey 2013 48% UK employers report skills under-use Employers in NI trained lowest proportion of their workforce (59%) Proficiency problems affect slightly larger proportion of employees in NI than in 2011 Just 1% employers experienced both skill-shortage vacancies & skills gaps. More commonly the case employers not fully utilising workforces’ skills This shows that skills under use is an issue for almost half of uk employers, and skills proficiency problems have been increasing in NI since 2011. In the current economic climate it is increasingly important for SERC to have a clear picture of the skills of its staff and identify any gaps so a development plan can be implemented to address these gaps. This will ensure the College is fully utilising the potential of its staff now and in the future.

Options Option 1 – Do Nothing Option 2 – Conduct Pilot Skills Audit Option 3 – Conduct full Academic Staff Skills Audit 3 potential options have been identified.

Options Option 1 – Do Nothing Not Acceptable. Risk of poor quality teaching – reduction in student enrolments & damage to College’s reputation Option 2 – Pilot Skills Audit Won’t give holistic & consistent approach to SD. Can’t benchmark with 2009 results Option 3 – Full Academic Staff Skills Audit BEST option. Can be undertaken during scheduled SD days on 22nd/23rd December 1 – not acceptable as it could lead to poor quality teaching if staff do not have the required level of skills. Poor quality teaching may lead to a reduction in student enrolments & damage to the reputation of the College. 2 – whilst a potential option, would not give the college a holistic and consistent approach to staff development if the audit is staggered. Would mean the results can’t be benchmarked against the 09 survey to identify progress made Process would take longer to roll out and require more administration time to conduct the audit more than once. 3 – preferred option as audit will be completed for all staff at once giving holistic view. College has 2 scheduled SD days on 22nd & 23rd December which would be ideal forum to do the audit as it could be mandatory for all staff to complete. Will ensure a clear and consistent message of the purpose of the audit can be delivered to all staff at once. Results of the audit and development plan leading from it can be used as evidence for QAA inspections.

Skills Audit 2014 Assess skills using Information and Learning Technology (ILT) Standards and Teaching and Learning (TL) Standards Identify all qualifications held Identify subjects qualified to teach Identify subjects currently teaching and at what level Identify any Industry experience 1 = skills using ILT standards and Teaching and Learning standards. T&L standards taken from Professional Standards for Teachers, Tutors and Trainers in Lifelong Learning Sector Several competences within each standard Staff will be asked to rate their competence on 4 point rating scale 2 - Staff will be asked to identify all qualifications they currently hold 3 - Staff will be asked to identify subjects qualified to teach and at what level Subjects currently teaching and at what level They will also be asked about industry experience to tie in with the Lecturers into Industry initiative. It is currently optional but consideration could be given to building it into personal development plans to ensure the Lecturers into Industry Programme is better embedded.

Impact Enable College to meet it’s strategic goal for Quality: “ promoting a culture of excellence through raising standards and continuous improvement, excellence in teaching & the learning environment & thereby enhance our reputation with our students, businesses & communities”.

Benefits Lower staff development costs Identify skills gaps (College/Departmental/Individual) Staff better matched to positions Staff feel valued & invested in Time savings Reporting on QAA UK Quality Code for HE The completion of a skills audit will lower the College’s staff development costs because development efforts will be more focused and streamlined giving a more holistic and consistent approach to staff development. It is difficult to quantify the cost saving that could be made because the skills audit hasn’t happened yet but if it were to deliver a 5% saving on last year’s expenditure on staff development this would equate to £19,608.39. Will identify skills gaps to be addressed for college as a whole, for depts. And for individuals With a clearer picture of staff skills and qualifications, staff can be better matched to their positions resulting in improved productivity. Staff will feel valued and invested in thereby increasing their morale and commitment to the college. The skills audit will produce time savings by ensuring the College is information rich about the level of skills and qualifications of staff and ready for stronger arguments at the bilaterals with DEL as part of the College Development Planning process to secure budget allocation for the College. Results can be used for reporting on QAA UK quality code for HE as evidence to show everyone teaching on HE has required level of qualifications.

Recommendation Going Forward Look at collaborating with the other FE Colleges to undertake a sector wide skills audit Stronger voice to DEL as a Sector rather than 1 College Look at the potential of collaborating with the other 5 FE Colleges in NI to undertake a sector wide skills audit. Would give the college a stronger voice as a sector rather than 1 College when going to DEL Gives the message to DEL – look at the current skills within the FE sector yet funding is being reduced.

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