SOURCING TRAINING PROVISION – “EMPLOYER’S GUIDE TO TRAINING PROVIDERS” (EGTP)

1. SOURCING TRAINING PROVISION – “EMPLOYER’S GUIDE TO TRAINING PROVIDERS” (EGTP) Presented by Date

2. AGENDA • Welcome • Warmer • Features and Benefits of the EGTP site • Search Function • Troubleshooting • Search Tasks: Group activity • Closing Session

3. WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES • To provide in-depth follow up training from the induction workshop • To offer the opportunity to discuss key topics in more detail • To provide knowledge that will support Brokers to achieve elements of the Skills Broker Standard, including:

4. WORKSHOP OBJECTIVESACHIEVING THE SKILLS BROKER STANDARD WHAT YOU NEED TO SHOW That you can… • understand the client’s skills needs and identify appropriate solutions (a2) • understand what training solutions are available (a3) • build relationships with a range of training providers and identify new training providers (a3) • proactively identify a range of information sources to help the client make informed decisions • present a number of options to the client with comparable summaries of cost and service (a4)

5. WORKSHOP OBJECTIVESACHIEVING THE SKILLS BROKER STANDARD YOU NEED TO KNOW Development Solutions (b1) including: • all types of funded and non-funded provision, • part time FE, HE, Foundation degrees and short courses (e.g. ICT, Health & Safety, Project Management)

6. WORKSHOP OUTCOMES • Know how to source training of all levels, from Basic Skills to HE courses • Know how to source “non-traditional” training provision (that isn’t qualification or course-specific) • Know how to make the best use of the resources available • Know how to access help and support • Understand how to coach the employer to become a better-informed purchaser of training • Understand how to identify the most relevant provision. • Know how to flag up gaps / omissions of information (e.g. course summary, course level) in order to improve database

7. WORKSHOP FACILITATORS

8. WARMER: BROKERS’ KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE OF EGTP SO FAR

9. DISCUSSION • What do you already know about EGTP? • Do you use other databases to find provision? • How else do you currently find training provision?

10. FEATURES AND BENEFITS OF THE EMPLOYER’S GUIDE TO TRAINING PROVIDERS

11. WHAT IS EGTP? • A web-based tool that helps employers to choose the most suitable training provider • Designed in association with • employer groups (BCC, CBI, EEF, FSB, FPB, SBC, SSDA, SSCs) • representatives of training providers and Brokers

12. WHAT IS EGTP? • Accessible via: • www.lsc.gov.uk/national/employer/goodtraining.htm • https://traintogainbrokers.lsc.gov.uk • Contains: • Guidance and checklists, Glossary, Useful links • And a search facility • Simple: By keyword (and location) • Advanced: By attendance type, qualification, provider name, start date, and duration • Accesses the National Learning Directory database

13. A VALUABLE RESOURCE • For Skills Brokers • Up-to-date, independent information on training opportunities • Guidance on choosing a provider to share with your clients • For Employers • Enables employers to become pro-active in sourcing training • For Training Providers • Increased visibility to business customers (market their provision)

14. A TOOL FOR SKILLS BROKERS This search facility can be used by Skills Brokers to: • Source training of a full range of training provision • Identify training providers who can offer suitable provision • The text content provides you with material which may be useful to you and/or your client • a glossary of skills/training terms • useful links to other resources • checklists for the provider and employer

15. A TOOL FOR EMPLOYERS The Guide can help employers to: • define and express their training needs • provide a framework for their negotiation with training providers • identify possible providers (through the search facility) • discuss with you which training/provider will best suit their needs

16. A TOOL FOR EMPLOYERS It helps employers by: • asking them to consider what are the important attributes of the provider/provision • supplying checklists to help them prepare for discussions with providers • providing a choice of providers with some information about them • providing a choice of courses and delivery modes If a provider can’t or won’t access the internet you can provide them with printouts

17. A TOOL FOR PROVIDERS The Guide uses the National Learning Directory as the source for its search. The NLD is a free service that enables providers to: • Register course and organisation details • Promote their courses and services to Brokers and employers • Collect new information about the demand for capacity and type of courses The value of the information on the NLD – for all users - is dependant on the active participation of providers

18. WHAT IS THE NATIONAL LEARNING DIRECTORY? • A DfES/LSC funded database • Launched in 2001 • By January 2006, it contained 950,000 records • Over 10,000 training providers across the UK

19. PURPOSE OF THE NLD • To achieve a directory of adult learning opportunities which is comprehensive, accurate and well classified. • All levels (Basic Skills to HE) • All provider types (10x as many independent as college providers) • Both funded and non-funded provision • Single source, many users

20. NATIONAL LEARNING DIRECTORY DATABASE – 10,000 PROVIDERS, 950,000 COURSES

21. NATIONAL LEARNING DIRECTORY DATABASE – 10,000 PROVIDERS, 950,000 COURSES

22. National Learning Directory Other e.g. EGTP Learndirect Help Line Sector Skills Connexions nextstep NATIONAL LEARNING DIRECTORY DATABASE – SINGLE SOURCE, MANY USERS SDS Consortium UCAS Hotcourses Approx 90 portals use the National Learning Directory BBC Webwise, Returning to Learning Channel 4 Bricking It, The Salon, Jamie’s Kitchen

23. PROVIDER DATA COLLECTION For providers there are 3 ways to submit data: • Send in a Prospectus • Let Hotcourses/UCAS enter the data • Extract from own database onto Excel Spreadsheet • Required to use specific template for data fields • Use on-line Course Manager to add/update information • Contact details for Hotcourses are available by clicking on the “Information for Training Providers” button on the Guide’s search pages. • Hotcourses contact – www.learningdirectory.co.uk

24. WHAT YOU WILL SEE

27. WHAT YOU WILL SEE – SEARCH RESULTS

28. WHAT YOU WILL SEE – SEARCH RESULTS

29. FUTURE OF THE GUIDE • Pilot to develop search facility to allow ranking of courses according to employer satisfaction • Being tested in the South West • Due to be evaluated in January 2007 • Aim to offer this employer feedback function nationally

30. SOUTH WESTEMPLOYER FEEDBACK PILOT The process: • Employer goes to EGTP website and clicks on Feedback link • Employer enters ratings and learner/own details • Automatic email goes to provider to verify participation of learners in training • Provider confirms/rejects validity of feedback • Confirmed ratings are added to database • Ratings are available for other employers to sort search results The net result for employers and Brokers: • A system for distinguishing between potential training solutions using the experience of previous employers

31. KEY LEARNING POINTS • What the Guide contains • How it benefits Brokers • Benefits to Brokers in getting employers and training providers to use it • How the National Learning Directory is compiled and the implications for Brokers • How to use the Guide to choose between providers offering same/similar provision • identify the most suitable provision for a particular employer

32. ANY QUESTIONS?

33. SEARCH FUNCTION

34. THE BASICS - 1 Quick Search is the easiest to perform: • The minimum required is to input a subject or keyword(s). Eg. Computing • This search will list all providers offering courses with either the entered keyword(s) or known synonyms in the title. • In this example, courses with IT/ICT and computer in the title are all returned NOTE: if more than one word is entered, the search will find courses whose titles include both/all keywords

35. THE BASICS - 2 Location - to find courses closest to your client: Input the postcode (or part of)and select one of the distancefrom values e.g. 5 miles from M6 5QU This gives a list of providers that provide training within the distance entered

36. THE BASICS - 3 Advanced Search An advanced search involves: • using more specific keywords or • adding more criteria, using the advanced search facility: The additional criteria are: • provider name • type of qualification • start date • type of attendance

37. ADVANCED SEARCH FIELDS Provider name • If you know the training provider you want, type all or part of the name. • If you type part of a name, it will return all providers with the word anywhere in their name. Note: you cannot use the wildcard (*) symbol. If you type an * in this field, it will look for names with * in.

38. ADVANCED SEARCH FIELDS Qualification • There is a limited list of types of qualifications. • Apprenticeships • other work-oriented/vocational quals • academic/non-vocational quals • Course certificate • No qualification • You can select as many of the options as you wish, or none. • “Hover” over the option to see a short description. • If you want a more specific qualification (e.g. NVQ, Diploma, BSc) include it in the keyword

39. ADVANCED SEARCH FIELDS Start Date A large proportion of courses have start dates “to be confirmed” so a search on start date will have few results Providers offering bespoke training often indicate this by not specifying a venue or a start date

40. ADVANCED SEARCH FIELDS Subject Category Suggestion Each course loaded in the National Learning Directory is assigned to one or more categories/ subcategories. 17 categories Essential Skills (basic skills) is a category on its own Each of the rest is then broken down into 5 or more subcategories

41. EFFECTIVE USE OF KEYWORDS Keywords that you input (for Quick Search or Advanced) are used to search the course titles on the database Course title • starts with the subject • generally includes level • awarding body name at the end in brackets Examples: Sports Science DipHE Air Ticketing Level 1 Biology GCSE (AQA) Managing Safely Certificate (IOSH) Business Administration NVQ Level 4 PowerPoint 4.0/7.0 Business and Finance National Diploma (BTEC )

42. KEYWORD SEARCHING Synonym builder • No matter what keywords you use, the NLD recognises a set of synonyms • For example: • Bricklaying / construction • If you think helpful synonyms are not included, email an example to the data team on data@learning-directory.co.uk

43. KEYWORD SEARCH TIPS Searching for variations of keywords - using asterisks (*) • If you are looking for courses where the titles are likely to have any of a number of similar but different words: e.g. management, manager, managing, or manage • Input manag* as the keyword • The asterisk after the text will act as a ‘wild card’ and return all courses with a variation of the word entered.

44. KEYWORD SEARCH TIPS Searching with not in the keywords • For example, if you know that your client is looking for language training, but not a full GCSE: • Input German not GCSE • This will give you list of all German courses, excluding GCSE level courses.

45. KEYWORD SEARCH TIPS Searching with and in the keywords • Allows you to search for courses with a similar content but that have variations on the course title • For example: • inputting Engineering and Designidentifies all the courses that inputting Engineering Designidentifies • also identifies courses with variations on the possible course titles such as Design Engineering Engineering Technology Product Design

46. KEYWORD SEARCH TIPS Searching with or in the keywords • If you’d like to search for more than one course at a time, • Use or • For example, input Italian or German in the subject keyword • The search will return both Italian and German courses.

47. SEARCH RESULTS First level • The user can choose whether to display the results at course or provider level (course level is the default) Second level • If results are at course level then selecting more details takes you immediately to level three (see below) • If results are at provider level then the user must navigate between providers before proceeding to level three by selecting a course Third level lists full course details • course summary, start details, qualification level, prerequisites, course description, awarding body, study type, estimated course duration, price, timetable, language, course contact telephone, venue details, contact details NOTE: if there is only one result for a search, it is displayed at level 3 automatically

48. USING THE SEARCH RESULTS • Ideally you should be able to give the employer a copy of the level 3 printout for each of the possible training options • Can operate as a marketing tool to employers

49. ANY QUESTIONS?

50. TROUBLESHOOTING