Project Descriptions
The current round of Thematic Development Projects started in September 2009. The 10 project themes are:
Engaging SMEs by using e-learning and blended learning approaches
Managing in the new economic climate: planning for increasing commercial services
Managing in the new economic climate: responding to the skills needs of sectors affected by the economic downturn
Pre-employment programmes – how are pre-employment providers engaging with employers?
Effective Strategic Planning for Independent Training Providers (ITPs) which supports them in responding to the changing needs of employers and learners during the current economic climate
Models of engagement with employers – how to move from a transactional relationship to a more strategic relationship
Lean process improvement – how can this be implemented in the FE sector to improve employer responsiveness?
Effective FE College Employer Engagement Strategies and their implementation and monitoring
Approaches to Marketing Strategies and Implementation for Employer Engagement
Benchmarking for Employer Responsiveness post TQS
Engaging SMEs by using e-learning and blended learning approaches
This project aims to review how effective practice providers are using e-learning and blended learning approaches to meet SME needs, to identify what these effective practices are and why they are successful.
Participants will focus on a specific element of their existing effective practice and produce an individual project plan which will outline how they will further develop this topic. It is anticipated that the individual outputs will then be combined into a practical toolkit to help other providers to develop this area of learning and work more effectively with SMEs.
Successful applicants will be expected to have experience in delivering successful e-learning / blended learning with SMEs (with demonstrable examples as evidence), and should be willing to share existing practice and to commit to developing it further.
Managing in the new economic climate: planning for increasing commercial services
This project aims to focus on planning for new business attracting income in 2010/11, including identifying key markets for non LSC-funded services and identifying emerging market opportunities post-recession.
Participants will focus on a specific element of their existing effective practice and produce an individual project plan which will outline how they will further develop this topic. It is anticipated that the individual outputs will be combined into an ‘Effective Practice Guide’ to develop business cases for new and additional ‘commercial’ services, with practical tools and templates that can help other providers develop this area of work.
Successful applicants will be expected to have some experience of delivering non LSC-funded services, should be willing to share existing practice and to commit to developing it further. It is also essential that applicants have strategic level support within their organisation.
Managing in the new economic climate: responding to the skills needs of sectors affected by the economic downturn
This project aims to examine how providers are working with employers within a specific sector that has been particularly affected by the current economic conditions, and how they can improve their performance in responding to the skills needs of such employers and their employees/ex-employees.
Participants will focus on a specific element of their existing effective practice and produce an individual project plan which will outline how they will further develop this topic. It is anticipated that the individual outputs will then be combined to produce a toolkit of approaches that other providers can implement in order to maintain, and wherever possible, improve their level of performance in responding to the skills needs of employers during a time of economic recession.
Successful applicants will be expected to show commitment to finding innovative solutions for industries that are really struggling in this economic climate. They should be currently providing programmes or other services to employers in at least one affected sector. They should also demonstrate a willingness to share existing practice and develop further.
Pre-employment programmes – how are pre-employment providers engaging with employers?
This project aims to review how the range of providers (private, public and third sector) are engaging with employers and to identify what approaches have worked successfully and clarify why these have been successful. It will also examine the common issues that act as a barrier to a provider’s ability to engage with employers.
Participants will focus on a specific element of their existing effective practice and produce an individual project plan which will outline how they will further develop this topic. It is anticipated that the individual outputs will then be combined to produce an effective practice guide and toolkit highlighting successful approaches and guidance for effectively engaging employers as part of initiatives such as the Flexible New Deal programme.
Successful applicants will be expected to have experience of delivering pre-employment programmes and be interested in developing innovative approaches to engaging employers as part of employability programme delivery. They must have a willingness to share existing practice and to develop this further.
Effective Strategic Planning for Independent Training Providers (ITPs) which supports them in responding to the changing needs of employers and learners during the current economic climate
This project aims to provide an overview of effective strategies developed and implemented by ITPs, with a particular focus on responding to the changing needs of employers and learners arising from the current economic climate.
Participants will focus on a specific element of their existing effective practice and produce an individual project plan which will outline how they will further develop this topic. It is anticipated that the individual outputs will then be combined to develop a suite of tools that will support ITPs in developing effective strategies, particularly in response to the changing needs of employers and learners.
Successful applicants will be expected to have a proven track record of planned growth and achievement working with one or more LSC regions. Applicants must be prepared to share their effective practice and tools with the sector as a whole. Ideally the group will be made up of a selection of large providers (multiple regions) and smaller ITPs.
Due to the strategic nature of this project, it is imperative that organisations have SMT involvement throughout the duration of the development work.
Models of engagement with employers – how to move from a transactional relationship to a more strategic relationship
This project aims to identify and compare what models, established and new, are used across the sector to move from a transactional approach to a strategic partnership with employers. It will identify innovative examples of how relationships have been developed, how this improves engagement and impacts on employers and the benefits which have accrued to both parties.
Participants will focus on a specific element of their existing effective practice and produce an individual project plan which will outline how they will further develop this topic. It is anticipated that the individual outputs will then be combined to produce an Effective Practice Guide, including case studies, which will support enhanced employer engagement from the perspective of developing long term, strategic relationships.
Successful applicants will be expected to offer proven examples of engaging employers as strategic partners and to be committed to making significant progress going forward. Ideally there will be a mixture of FE colleges and ITPs and inclusion of some providers with TQS and/or Beacon status for employer engagement activity would be desirable.
Lean process improvement – how can this be implemented in the FE sector to improve employer responsiveness?
This project aims to investigate which Lean tools, techniques, thinking and management practices would most benefit FE colleges and ITPs in their quest to eliminate waste and deliver higher value added to the employer base.
Participants will focus on a specific element of their existing effective practice and produce an individual project plan which will outline how they will further develop this topic. It is anticipated that the individual outputs will then be combined to develop a ‘lean tool-kit’, including implementation techniques and management practices, to aid FE Colleges and ITPs to identify and eliminate waste in their front and back office processes.
Successful applicants will have already demonstrated commitment to implement lean practices and be willing to share their work to date and to develop these practices further.
Effective FE College Employer Engagement Strategies and their implementation and monitoring
This project aims to identify the key elements of an effective strategy, including how to engage the whole organisation to implement it and how to monitor it in a meaningful way and develop models for developing an effective strategy. It will also aim to determine the potential benefits and outcomes for providers of developing effective strategies and the real impact on organisations in terms of their level of responsiveness.
Participants will focus on a specific element of their existing effective practice and produce an individual project plan which will outline how they will further develop this topic. It is anticipated that the individual outputs will then be combined into a toolkit including a model structure/template/toolkit for developing an employer engagement strategy, an example performance management framework and tips and techniques for engaging both internal staff within the provider organisation as well as employers / other external stakeholders.
Successful applicants will demonstrate commitment to working at a strategic level and provide evidence of existing effective practice. They will be willing to share practice to date and to further develop work in this area.
Due to the strategic nature of this project, it is imperative that organisations have SMT involvement throughout the duration of the development work.
Approaches to Marketing Strategies and Implementation for Employer Engagement
This project aims to help providers build on their existing marketing strategies to focus on delivering value and benefits to employer customers. It also aims to help providers to be more aware of, and to make more use of, modern approaches to marketing to enable them to reach more potential customers, and especially those who do not, as present, work with the FE sector.
Participants will focus on a specific element of their existing effective practice and produce an individual project plan which will outline how they will further develop this topic. It is anticipated that the individual outputs will then be combined to produce step-by-step guidance which deals with how to produce a more business-focused marketing strategy aligned to the needs and wants of the best potential market segments and employer customers in those segments.
Successful applicants will have a track record of commitment to the employer responsiveness agenda, specifically in relation to marketing, and be committed to developing their approach (demonstrated by having someone in the organisation responsible for marketing and an existing website).
Due to the strategic nature of this project, it is imperative that organisations have SMT involvement throughout the duration of the development work.
Benchmarking for Employer Responsiveness post TQS
This project is only open to providers who have achieved the Training Quality Standard (full or conditional certification).
This project aims to identify ways of defining milestones in achieving Employer Responsiveness (ER) and measuring progress and continuous improvement, using the TQS scoring methodology as a basis. It will aim to identify and share lessons and approaches (effective practice) to develop and sustain effective Employer Responsiveness within a framework of continuous improvement.
Participants will focus on a specific element of their existing effective practice and produce an individual project plan which will outline how they will further develop this topic. It is anticipated that the individual outputs will then be combined to produce a tool kit for evaluating progress towards increasing ER, linked to TQS and the scoring process as well as a summary of effective practice in action.
Successful applicants will have achieved TQS certification (either conditional or full) and will be willing to share information on how they currently do things and any evaluation. They will be committed to continuous improvement.
If you would like further information then please contact us by email at wcsenquiries@kpmg.co.uk or call us on 0800 32 86 075.