Employer Engagement Policy

 

 

Procedure Number: 015	Employer Engagement
	Date of Last Revision:	26/5/2020
	Date of Last Review:	17/2/2020
	Date of Next Review:	17/2/2021

 

Policy Statement

Betterweld Group Ltd are a privately owned training provider with specialisms in engineering especially welding and fabrication.  We believe that successful employer engagement is essential in developing a ‘fit for purpose’ curriculum and in ensuring its ongoing quality and relevance.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to set out our commitment to engage employers in their employees training and development and to keep them informed on their progress and development.

Scope

This policy covers all curriculum offered by Betterweld Group Ltd, including Apprenticeships, Vocational Qualifications, Functional Skills / Core Skills (Scotland) and short courses.

All employees involved in the delivery of vocational qualifications and training.

Roles and Responsibilities

Management Responsibilities

The Managing Director is responsible for ensuring that a copy of this document is available to all employees and that the policy and procedures are reviewed annually.

The Business Development Manager and other line managers are responsible for ensuring the adherence of this policy by all employees.  Managers are responsible for supporting delivery personnel with issues with learners and involving employers as appropriate.

The managing Director is responsible for ensuring the policy is available to learners and employers via the web site (www.betterweld.org)

Engagement Team

The ‘engagement team’ are responsible for marketing and promoting the company to employers, providing them with relevant curriculum information, carrying out engagement meetings and ensuring feedback questionnaires are completed as required.

Delivery Staff

Delivery staff are responsible for involving employers (or their representatives) in progress reviews and maintaining good working relationships with workplace mentors.  They are also encouraged to support the Engagement Team on an ongoing basis (a bonus scheme is in place for new starts generated by delivery staff).

Individual’s Responsibility 

Individual employees are required to act in accordance with this policy, to enable employer engagement.  Failure to do so may be considered as an act of misconduct and may result in disciplinary action.

Policy Implementation – Procedures

Betterweld Group Ltd will engage and work in partnership with employers through marketing and employer communication processes:

• Marketing our service offer to potential partner employers;
• Making partner employers aware of new training and development opportunities for their employees;
• Providing regular timely reports of learner progress;
• Measuring employer satisfaction through annual employer surveys;
• Offering training packages which respect the needs of the business as a whole and impact positively on the business;
• Handling enquiries promptly and efficiently and reviewing standards of customer service regularly;

  Managing and maintaining a data base of employer contacts.

Management Processes

• Providing high quality delivery staff through robust recruitment and selection and training and development processes;
• Acting promptly to respond to feedback and/or complaints in order to improve services;
• Continuing to evolve and improve the training offer, offering teaching and learning strategies which motivate, stimulate and encourage the learners as well as meeting the employer’s requirements and support Apprenticeship Standards development and implementation;
• Building bespoke training courses to meet the needs of our partner employers;
• Keeping up to date with Government policy and advice, funding changes, OfSTED requirements, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) quality assurance requirements, Awarding Bodies / qualification requirements, Apprenticeship Standards and Framework requirements and informing partner employers of changes relevant to their business.

Training Delivery Processes

• Working with employer workplace mentors;
• Engaging employers in optional unit choices to ensure the needs of the business are met;
• Completing progress reviews with learners and their line managers;
• Setting SMART targets and performance indicators which measure and monitor success and lead to an improving trend.

Information Advice and Guidance

The role of the employer explained;

• The employer and learner sign the Apprenticeship Commitment Statement.

Individual Learning Programme agreed/ revised

• Content, delivery methods agreed by the employer, learner and Betterweld Group Ltd;
• Target dates for activities agreed.
• Face to face meeting between employer, learner & Betterweld Group Ltd
• Held every 8 - 12 weeks to monitor progress;
• Employer and learner feedback recorded;
• Next training and targets agreed;
• MI Reports (fortnightly).

Training Delivery

• On-job and off-the-job training undertaken as agreed;
• Learning recorded.

Review

Face to face meeting between employer, learner & Betterweld Group Ltd

• Held every 8 - 12 weeks to monitor progress;
• Employer and learner feedback recorded;
• Next training and targets agreed;
• MI Reports (fortnightly).

 

 

 

The Apprenticeship Engagement Process

The core purpose of the delivery of apprenticeship training by Betterweld is to support people to develop skills in the broadest sense and to encourage talent, knowledge, resourcefulness and creativity.

 

Ensuring that apprentices receive the training they need to support in the apprenticeship role they are employed in.

 

Betterweld seeks to deliver skills in order to support the development of an advanced competitive economy and make us a fairer society, offering equal opportunities for all. We will focus on the employability and progression of learners and deliver the skills and qualifications which individuals, employers and the economy need.

Promoting apprenticeships with employers

To promote apprenticeships we will via our website:

• Publicise and direct employers to the online search capability of Finding Apprenticeship Training (FAT).
• Use authorised ESFA Apprenticeship branding to demonstrate that we are an accredited apprentice training provider.
• We will also promote that we are an accredited EAL Ltd training centre.

To promote apprenticeships via our Business Development Team we will:

• Promote the national apprenticeship programme with prospective employers via sales meetings, sales calls, e-commerce and promotion, social media, networking and follow up.
• Where appropriate sign post employers to alternative/other apprentice training providers (via FAT).
• Promote apprentice training opportunities to our general student/candidate population.

Engagement Methodology

Our primary route for engaging with employers for fabrication and welding apprenticeships is through face to face meetings.

Our business services include:

• Sales of welding tools, equipment, machinery , consumables and industrial gases.
• A range of training services and course that includes general training, technical training and apprenticeship training.
• Quality consultancy

 

 

 

Apprenticeship Training Services

Our employers are made aware that we offer at Level 2 and Level 3 apprenticeships in Fabrication and Welding using by negotiation either a framework approach or a standards based approach.

Where their apprenticeship training needs falls outside of our scope of delivery we will sign post the employer to the Find Apprenticeship Training tool.

We can deliver apprenticeships in a flexible way.  We can deliver our services on the employers’ sites nationwide or at our purpose built and equipped specialist training centre located at:

20, Downing Road, West Meadows Industrial Estate, Derby DE21 6HA

Working with the employer

We specialise in Fabrication and Welding and work closely with our employers to ensure our delivery meets the needs of the industry, the employer and our candidates/apprentices to help to promote employment in the industry. We will work closely with the employer throughout the learning journey to ensure they are engaged throughout.

Planning for Apprenticeship learning

At the employer’s instruction we produce an analysis of the business and training needs.

We will undertake analysis of the apprentice’s Maths and English capability using the BKSB diagnostic tool (online or paper based) and by completing assessment of key motor and special awareness skills, necessary to sustain employment and success in the fab/weld sector.

We will produce an agreed training programme that includes the necessary level of training and an agreed delivery methodology i.e framework or standards, on site or off site, day release, block release and any blended learning activities.

We will ensure that the apprentice will be able to evidence the required competency standards.

Once all information has been gathered the individual apprentice’s training needs are documented in an Individualised Learning Plan (ILP)signed and agreed by the apprentice, the employer and ourselves.

Provide detailed financial costings to support all training programmes.

Relationship Management

Betterweld will continuously engage with the employer and apprentice throughout the duration of the apprenticeship programme.  We do this by agreeing with the employer our mutual expectations  and will:

• Assign a designated Contact for the employer with their contact details.
• Assign a dedicated Tutor/Mentor to the apprentice with their contact details.
• Agree in advance a quarterly delivery/visit schedule and weekly time table.
• Provide an opportunity for 1:1 tutoring sessions for the apprentice.
• Review apprentice progress in writing every 12 weeks (max).
• Report absence.
• Report behaviour that is deemed unacceptable.
• Identify under performance.

Escalation of concerns and addressing any issues raised

This is to be read in association with our Complaints Policy.

We encourage both the employer and the apprentice to formally record their feedback using a suite of documents used to support and record the learner journey e.g assessment appeals, assessment feedback, employer feedback on assessed activities, quarterly apprentice review documents.

Concerns/questions and issues not relating to assessment can be brought to the immediate attention of the Managing Director by the employer.

Assessment related issues are escalated using the Assessment Appeals Procedure which initiates an enquiry by Internal and/or External Quality Assurance staff.

Monitoring and improving employer engagement

Business Development KPI’s

The Business monitors and reports the following KPI’s to all employers:

• Apprentices retained on programme
• Achievement
• Customer satisfaction
• Equality and Diversity

Annual Employer Feedback

 Employers are invited to submit feedback of their experience of working with Betterweld. The feedback is tailored to be appropriate for the stage that their apprentice is at i.e. the first feedback asks the employer questions about the sales and on-boarding process, subsequent feedback forms ask the employer questions about their apprentice’s experience on programme.

Cyclical Reviews

Our Business Development and Sales Team has a timetable of face to face meetings, telephone calls and email communications with employers.

Contract Review Meeting

Held quarterly to discuss the performance of the provider and apprentice against the agreed training plan.

 

 

Standardisation

The Betterweld team meet quarterly to hold a standardisation meeting.  Employers and apprentices are invited to attend or submit written questions or concerns to be addressed at the meeting.  A written response from the Managing Director is made within 10 working days.

Complaints data and FAQ’s are included as a regular item on the Standardisation Meeting Agenda.  This meeting is minuted and copies sent out to all employers and apprentices.

Responses to FAQ’s will be published on www.betterweld.org