All images © Mat Wright Enhancing Employer Engagement in the Design & Development of Effective Skills Solutions Amman 8-9 September

All images © Mat Wright Skills Development in the UK Employers in Partnership Richard Beamish 2

Training Boards 1964 Industrial Training Act Over 27 Industry Training Boards: Secure provision of training courses Identify course content and standard Levy/grant system in place Exemption system for smaller firms 1982 Industrial Training Act – responsibility for training to industry rather than boards A few survived, including Construction and Engineering Construction 3

Sector Skills Councils Introduced from 2002 Employer owned but licensed by Government 16 SSCs and several related organisations undertaking similar work, including ECITB and OPITO Develop Labour Market Information Responsible for National Occupational Standards Usually responsible for Apprenticeship Frameworks Work with UK Commission for Employment and Skills 4

Sector Skills Councils & Industry Training Boards 5

Leitch Review of Skills 2006 By 2020 in England: 95% achieve functional literacy & numeracy 85% literacy & 79% numeracy in 2005 Over 90% qualified to at least level 2 69% in 2005 Balance of intermediate skills to level 3 40% to level 4 and above 29% in

Vocational Skills Partners in the United Kingdom Employers Directly and through: Sector Skills Councils Industry Training Bo ards Government Ministries UK Commission for Employment & Skills Local Enterprise Partnerships Education Universities Colleges Private Training Providers 7

Fit for purpose programmes UK skills system is demand-led: Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) & Industry Training Boards (ITBs) are employer led bodies that develop skills solutions for their industry sectors. UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) which offers advice on UK skills and employment issues Labour market intelligence Occupational standards define the competence (knowledge and skills) required for occupations and job functions Employers increasingly involved in designing and delivering vocational qualifications and learning programmes, such as Apprenticesh ips 8

Learning environment Colleges and other providers of skills training: work with employers, higher education and other stakeholders to ensure learning is relevant to employment, meets learner needs and offers progression must comply with requirements for delivery, assessment and standardisation undertake continuous improvement through self-assessment and make the outcomes of this available are inspected by an independent inspectorate in each country are judged on the quality of their programmes and the success of the ir learners 9

Functions of UK Skills Organisations Labour market intelligence – sector specific skills research Sector Skills Assessments annually Regular intelligence papers State of the nation Reports Create national occupational standards, accredited qualifications and apprenticeships Develop career pathways and supporting careers information Support for provision of training and qualifications at all levels Employer engagement Skills Academies 10

Occupational Standards break down the skills, knowledge and understanding needed to undertake a particular role They describe what a person needs to do, know and understand in order to carry out their role in a consistent and competent manner – key competencies Competence is defined as an ability to apply skills, knowledge and understanding in the workplace – to a standard agreed by employers Occupational Standards are the building blocks for many UK-wide qualifications and for numerous professional and/or business improvement tools What are National Occupational Standards? 11

They define in detail the performance criteria expected of an individual in a role They set out clearly what an individual needs to know and understand to enable them to meet the performance criteria They can be used by employers to: - Improve quality of goods and services - Increase productivity - Reduce costs for recruitment - Provide for better human resources planning - Help effective skills upgrading - Act as a benchmark for rewarding experience, knowledge and competence How do National Occupational Standards help employers? 12

NOS, the bedrock of qualifications development, can underpin training and qualification provision for the workforce Education materials can be reviewed and refreshed as revised NOS are approved Identify skills gaps Identify new areas for qualification and / or training development Assist workforce development planning How do National Occupational Standards help education providers? 13

Investing in National Occupational Standards Standards - Advice to Governments on which standards will achieve the best outcomes and impact - Securing standards to support apprenticeships and vocational qualifications - Managing the quality assurance and approval of standards - Reporting on the impact of standards across four nations LMI/Evidence Base - UKCES Research portfolio - Triangulation of evidence from other sources - International benchmarking and comparisons including links to European standards and qualification frameworks - Evaluation – outcomes and impact 14

Skills organisations have a key responsibility of ensuring that fit-for-purpose qualifications are available for employers and the wider workforce across the UK Once new or refreshed occupational standards are approved by the UK Commission, it is expected that a review of qualifications will also take place Skills organisations also set out current and future learning and qualification needs of their respective employers and sectors in specific Sector Qualification Strategies What is the relationship between National Occupational Standards and qualifications? 15

How National Occupational Standards are developed Occupational Map Functional Map National Occupational Standards

Qualifications system In the UK accredited qualifications are admitted to qualifications and credit frameworks. Key purposes of a qualifications framework – quality Organising qualifications against clearly defined principles and characteristics Offers public confidence in the quality of qualifications Offers a basis for comparison Avoids duplication and overlap between qualifications Allows users to identify relevant qualifications Clarifies progression opportunities 17

UK context Four country dimension Political diversity Democratic approach to policy development UK Parliament (Westminster ) Department for Education Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Welsh Government Northern Ireland Assembly Scottish Government Department for Education and Skills Department for Employment and Learning Department of Education Learning and Justice Directorate 18

All images © Mat Wright Over 1000 Employers already involved in redesigning Apprenticeships Over 1.9m Apprenticeship starts this Parliament. We are committed to delivering at least 2 million. 96% Employers who take on an apprentice say their business benefited. £117k Extra income earned by someone who completes a Level 3 Apprenticeship Amount we invested in Apprenticeships last year Return for every pound that Government invests in Apprenticeships £1 £28 Number of ‘full Apprenticeships’ has trebled since 2009/10 £1.5 bn Over 220,000 Workplaces already offering Apprenticeships At least 12 months Duration for Apprenticeships 11 out of 11 Industrial Strategy sectors covered by our Trailblazers New Higher Apprenticeships In occupations like space engineer and pilot 68,000 Apprenticeships in smaller businesses supported by our Grant for Employers Over 20,000 Apprenticeships pledged during National Apprenticeships Week 2014 Over 70 sectors involved in developing new Apprenticeships Organisations representing half a million businesses support our reforms 19

LMI NOS Quals Engage Delivery Use occupational and functional mapping to create National Occupational Standards Develop qualifications based on the national standard Engage with employers to meet national standards Develop and maintain provision network Working with Employers 20

A simple support plan 21

Typical Global Skills Cycle 1. Identify skills needed to deliver industry objectives 2. Examine skills and competence of current workforce using international benchmarks 3. Identify skills gap in current and future industry requirements 4. Design training programmes, train the trainer, and build high quality provision 5. Deliver certified training programmes to international standards 6. Quality assure delivery against industry objectives 22

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