Higher Level Skills workshops for Train to Gain brokers

LEAD ORGANISATION

Progress South Central

ADDITIONAL ORGANISATIONS INVOLVED

Higher Education South East (HESE), Sussex Learning Network, Kent and Medway Lifelong Learning Network, Hants & IOW Lifelong Learning Network

PROJECT SUMMARY

Progress South Central delivered, on behalf of Higher Education South East (HESE), a Higher Level Skills workshop for Train to Gain Skills Brokers in July 2008 at the University of Reading. Similar workshops were run by the three other LLNs in the South East, thereby ensuring that all brokers in the region were given the opportunity to find out more about Higher Level Skills provision locally and how to access relevant resources and obtain support.

The workshop at the University of Reading was organised and delivered by Progress South Central with some support from fdf. The workshop additionally included an overview by University of Reading staff of the University's Business Development Unit and Knowledge Transfer Centre. The day included a focus on what Higher Education institutions have to offer employers, the business benefits of Higher Level Skills and sources of funding available for workforce development. Brokers were given the opportunity to raise any concerns they had around brokering higher level skills. One of the objectives of the workshop was to help brokers achieve elements of the Skills Broker Standard and support them in their ongoing Continuing Professional Development.

The day included a 'virtual' tour of the University of Reading campus specifically focused on those areas of the University likely to be of interest to businesses. To take away from the day, brokers were given a comprehensive broker pack covering the whole of the South East region and including information about Higher Education, current initiatives in the South East, funding information and lists of area-specific contacts.

Subsequently, Progress South Central independently delivered a second workshop at the University of Surrey in October 2008, for Surrey-based Skills Brokers, which also received positive feedback.

IMPACT

Around 30 brokers attended the two events, including the Area Manager for the Thames Valley region at the July event.

In advance of the event, delegates were invited to complete a questionnaire which gave them the opportunity to feed back their current state of knowledge of HE and to state the specific areas on which they hoped to be better informed as a result of the workshop. None of those who responded considered themselves to have a good knowledge of the specific aspects of HE stated, and all rated their level of knowledge prior to the workshop as either Average or Limited/None. The most popular areas that brokers wanted to find out more about were 'What HE can offer employers' and 'Delivery and assessment of higher level skills provision' - all those responding selected these as priority areas for them.

Following the Reading workshop, almost all the feedback indicated that brokers now had a better understanding of higher level provision and potential progression/development routes and felt more able to promote the business benefits of Higher Level Skills to employers. All respondents indicated that the training had been pitched at the right level in terms of their previous levels of knowledge and understanding, and all indicated that the training had helped them feel more empowered in certain specified key areas. Brokers were particularly interested in the continuing relationships that could develop from the Knowledge Transfer Centre and in the SEED (Summer Enterprise Experience & Discovery) scheme. Regarding Employer Based Training Accreditation (EBTA), one of the brokers commented that they had been asked about EBTA only the previous week and that they now felt in a position to go back and answer the questions posed in an informed way.

Selected comments from delegates:

"Previously I couldn't have summed up my knowledge [of Foundation Degrees] in one sentence but I feel that I can now"

"The 'campus tour' ... was great, lots of information about what's available for students at the University."

"Really useful and comprehensive introduction, thank you!"

"A thoroughly worthwhile event. Thank you indeed."