1. New Standard for Employer Responsiveness
Rachael Fidler
HTP

2. Aims of the New Standard
The 2006 FE Reform White Paper mandated a New Standard that could accredit:
Responsiveness to business needs
Excellence in delivering vocational training
A commitment to continuous improvement
Accrediting specialisation
The aim is to bring clarity to the market- 1badge that can be nationally promoted, by bringing together all the other marks.

3. Part A is about individual employers and how your organisation relates/interacts with their employers
Part B is about the SECTOR and groups of employers and the outcomes are about how your specialism affects change in your sector specialism
Part B is a whole new application

4. Action for Business Initial readiness check & mystery shop findings
HTPs adopted approach
Highlighted evidence
Identified areas for action
Critical success factors
Concerns

5. Initial Readiness Check
Initial WBL trial site
Mystery shop report:
Contacts were polite and helpful
Levels of information, advice and guidance were good
Staff appeared very knowledgeable
Systematic gathering of LMI
A knowledge of WBL terminology was, in some instances, assumed

6. Initial Readiness Check
In 8 areas HTP met over 50% of the indicators, in 3 areas all indicators were fully met
In the remaining 4 areas less than 50% of indicators were not evidenced at the readiness check

7. Initial Readiness Check
Key strengths
All staff were aware of company’s mission & targeted occupational sectors
A wide range of LMI is collected at all levels
Employers are engaged in all stages of the delivery process
Delivery of training assessment is highly flexible
Annual employer surveys are conducted and inform planning
H&S & EO have a high profile

8. Initial Readiness Check
Key strengths
All staff participate in an annual appraisal and CPD is supported
Training facilities are excellent
All reception staff have undergone appropriate training
Regular reviews highlight employers not currently engaged in training and actions are evidenced
The organisation actively seeks and promotes partnership and networking

9. Initial Readiness Check
Areas for development
Some employer data is paper based making market analysis and strategic marketing difficult
Clearer Service Standards must be set and monitored across the company
Employer targets must be explicit across all areas of the business
Marketing plans and budgets require formalising
Dissemination of HTPs pricing policy across all products requires wider dissemination

10. Benchmark against A4B standards Identification of evidence and gaps
HTPs Approach
Improve Employer Engagement
Review progress
Benchmark against A4B standards
Implement
Identification of evidence and gaps
Generate options
Implementation Plan
Evaluate
against objective

11. Key Action Areas
Ensure visibility and dissemination of the overarching annual planning cycle
Formalise marketing activity and improve the analysis marketing activity
Extend commercial development plans to inform long term business strategy

12. Critical Success Factors
Systematic gathering of LMI
Effectively tracking the employer journey
Ensuring the ethos and culture of employer engagement is embedded and sustained across the organisation

13. Concerns Validity and costs of LMI data
Creating/sourcing and costs of a CRMS
Ensuring systems are adhered to

14. The story so far Asked if we would like to Test the NS
Went through testing
Unofficially told we would have passed including section 5 due to the marks
Decided to Fast Track
Wrote and submitted application, couldn’t do Part B

15. Assessment
2 assessors
3 days, 4 centres staff individually and in groups all levels
Evidence
Employer validation- we prepared our employers!
Key area section 5, 300 points

16. Submission
HTP submission for The New Standard was a very comprehensive and credible document that covered all aspects of their business.
In presenting the submission HTP provided many examples of both process and specific illustrations of practice.
Through the document and on the verification visit they were able to substantiate the rigour of their procedures and the extent to which they are embed in the ethos of the business.

17. Strategy
The relationship with employers is recognised as the foundation of the business and their ability to maintain their reputation.

18. Fundamentals
The selection and skill set of employees is good and the organisational structure creates clear links across the employer journey whilst maintaining a high degree of interaction between teams supported by structured meetings/reviews.

19. Respond
The TNA approach is well defined and does focus on the employer and their business needs and then compares this to existing staff skills and abilities. There is evidence of long term TNA planning for their major clients.
Information systems are well developed in the business providing for issues to be addressed at an early stage and for activities to be undertaken concurrently so speeding up responsiveness and flexibility.

20. deliver
The delivery activity is integrated into the define/propose activity to ensure a seamless experience for the employer and the learner and feedback is obtained and acted on at all stages.

21. Relate
Extensive interaction with employers is evident and feedback approaches result in an extensive range of data to inform planning and improvement activity.

22. Perform
Performance measurement is mapped well across the indicators of the New Standard and demonstrates a well embedded approach. Feedback measures are in place and provide a ready and direct source of information.
Outcomes are assessed on a case by case basis with a scoring system incorporated into the review that provided both qualitative and quantitative data for reviews.

23. Improve
Extensive interaction with employers is evident and feedback approaches result in an extensive range of data to inform planning and improvement activity.